Day 102 - 13 Mar 95 - Page 14
1
2 Q. We come to bird crowding as our next item. 8, it is
3 called: "Bird crowding. The foreman is responsible to
4 ensure that the birds do not smother. Modules should be
5 placed in the house in such a manner as to ensure that the
6 birds are not crowded and to provide the birds with an
7 escape route". How does it work that birds might need an
8 escape route?
9 A. It is very important when you are moving birds, like
10 herding any animals, that they are given sufficient time to
11 move at their own pace and that they have room to move
12 without jumping on top of each other.
13
14 Q. The right-hand column says under "Key safety factors":
15 "Smothering birds causes loss to the grower, loss of the
16 foreman's bonus and contravenes the Bird Welfare Act". Do
17 you see that?
18 A. Yes.
19
20 Q. Then 9: "Bird handling", still part of the foreman's job
21 specification: "The foreman is responsible for ensuring
22 that the birds are", over the page, "handled and loaded in
23 accordance with the written catching procedure".
24 Right-hand column, if you go back to page 62: "Anyone
25 mistreating birds must be sent back to Hereford and his
26 supervisor informed".
27
28 In your experience, how often does it happen that a catcher
29 is sent back to Hereford, presumably, to be disciplined, or
30 whatever, I do not know, because he has mistreated the
31 birds?
32 A. As I say, I personally would not be informed of all
33 instances where this would happen, but I am aware that it
34 has happened in the past. I am aware of one or two
35 specific incidents, although not all of them. I would
36 guess it does not happen very often.
37
38 Q. Can you turn on -- this is on damage and smothering -- to
39 page 65 which is 4.7, item 17: "On completion of catch.
40 Check sheds with grower for any damage or smothering. Get
41 grower to sign live haul catching department sheet".
42 Right-hand column: "Agree any such incident with site
43 representative. Any losses or damage report immediately to
44 supervisor". Do people, Dr. Pattison, report cases of
45 damage and smothering?
46 A. Yes, they do. They are all quite clearly laid out on
47 these check sheets at the end of the catch, and the records
48 are sent into the supervisor at Head Office so that any
49 incident can be followed up.
50
51 Q. Can we go back then to the note of Mr. Bruton's supposed
52 evidence? I had got, I think, to the words "trapped" in
53 the fifth paragraph. Do you have that?
54 A. Yes.
55
56 Q. It goes on: "Each truck", I suppose it must mean, "carried
57 between 4,000 to 6,000 birds 12 drawers to a crate module";
58 is that about right?
59 A. Yes, that is correct.
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