Day 102 - 13 Mar 95 - Page 07


     
     1        which takes care of their welfare and well-being, and
     2        anybody who behaves like that is behaving contrary to the
     3        company's instructions.
     4
     5   Q.   Would you expect that sort of thing might be going on at
     6        Sun Valley behind your back and you did not know about it?
     7        A.  There is always the possibility.  The catching teams
     8        work at times when they, essentially, have to work under
     9        their own discipline, under the discipline of a foreman,
    10        and the way in which they behave is entirely down to those
    11        individuals.
    12
    13   Q.   Do those sorts of procedures, that way of handling the
    14        birds, give you anxiety?
    15        A.  The actual catching process where birds are caught in
    16        each hand and loaded into the drawers can be done in a way
    17        which is considerate of the birds themselves.  They do not
    18        have to be thrown, they do not have to have their heads
    19        trapped, and it can be done in a sensible way.
    20
    21   Q.   Have you ever seen catching teams at Sun Valley behaving in
    22        that kind of way?
    23        A.  I have not.
    24
    25   Q.   Would you expect that kind of behaviour to be reported to
    26        you if it was going on?
    27        A.  The behaviour of the individual members would not
    28        necessarily be reported to me.  There are area supervisors
    29        who cover groups of catching teams and the normal procedure
    30        would be that it would be reported to them and they would
    31        take it back to their Head Office.  So I would not
    32        necessarily hear about it myself.
    33
    34   Q.   If an area supervisor came to know that that sort of
    35        behaviour was going on on a regular basis, or perhaps even
    36        on a single occasion, what would you expect the area
    37        supervisor to do about it?
    38        A.  The clear instruction is that any individuals who are
    39        not taking birds' welfare into consideration must be
    40        brought back to Head Office for disciplinary measures which
    41        may ultimately mean that they will be sacked.  There are
    42        several examples where that has happened in the past.
    43
    44   Q.   Moving on from that film, were you provided with a note of
    45        what it is suggested a Mr. John Bruton might say if he came
    46        to give evidence in this court, a hand-written note?
    47        A.  The handwritten statement I have read.
    48
    49   Q.   Have you got it with you?
    50        A.  I have. 
    51 
    52   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Mr. Rampton said what he said, described it 
    53        as "a note" rather than a statement, because what Ms. Steel
    54        did, by agreement with everyone, rather than have a
    55        statement from Mr. Bruton which might have taken a longer
    56        time, she wrote down what she thought he might deal with if
    57        he were called to give evidence and that is hence the form
    58        you see it in.
    59
    60   MR. RAMPTON:  We will assume, therefore, Dr. Pattison for the

Prev Next Index