Day 092 - 27 Feb 95 - Page 35

     
     1
     2   Q.   So, realistically, those people could not check each
     3        individual chicken, could they, to see whether it
     4        was  -----
     5        A.  No, they do, believe me, they do.  That is their
     6        livelihood.  Usually, done on a contract, what is called
     7        contract farming.  So they produce, they have their own
     8        chickens, and they take care of them, and if anything goes
     9        wrong, they will lose their business, they will lose their
    10        livelihood.  Most people have a salary which you can depend
    11        on.  Those people have to make it work right or else they
    12        will not get paid for it.
    13
    14   Q.   Those people would be responsible for checking that the
    15        food was working OK and the water system was working OK?
    16        A.  Yes, yes.
    17
    18   Q.   And that the conveyor belts taking the eggs were working
    19        OK?
    20        A.  Yes, everything.
    21
    22   Q.   Everything?
    23        A.  Yes.  They know if something goes wrong, if there is a
    24        bird that is sick, that will spread in their houses and
    25        they will lose a lot of money.  That is their livelihood.
    26        They cannot afford to do that.
    27
    28   Q.   When they make checks they walk up down the aisles between
    29        the cages, do they?
    30        A.  Yes, they do, yes.
    31
    32   Q.   They do not open each individual cage each time?
    33        A.  No.
    34
    35   Q.   Chickens backs have extensive nerve supplies with numerous
    36        mecano receptors, thermo receptors and -----
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I appreciate you have got to look down at
    39        your paper, but you are jolly difficult to hear when you do
    40        that.
    41
    42   MS. STEEL:  Sorry.
    43
    44   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Start again.
    45
    46   MS. STEEL (To the witness):  Chickens' beaks have extensive
    47        nerve supplies, do they not?
    48        A.  Have extensive?
    49
    50   Q.   Nerve supplies? 
    51        A.  No, no. 
    52 
    53   Q.   You say they do not?
    54        A.  It goes back; it might have some at the very back, not
    55        at the tip.
    56
    57   Q.   Is that something that you have looked into?
    58        A.  I know, yes.
    59
    60   Q.   You know -- what, you have done research into chickens'