Day 102 - 13 Mar 95 - Page 21
1 A. It is right that he has one farm in that condition.
2
3 Q. Right, and that supplies Sun Valley?
4 A. Yes, it does.
5
6 Q. What are the other problems with that farm, if you would
7 just run through them?
8 A. The particular farm that you are referring to is simply
9 an old farm which requires replacing.
10
11 Q. So it would be pretty standard for all the other old farms
12 that you ------
13 A. No, that one is in particularly poor repair.
14
15 Q. Can you just tell us what the other problems are then?
16 A. Well, I am not really very familiar with the farm in
17 its particular details. All I know is it is very old, it
18 is in very poor repair and that the facilities it provides
19 are really not up to a modern standard.
20
21 Q. But you have not struck him off as a supplier?
22 A. No. It has been discussed with him many times and he
23 is in agreement that that facility does need to be
24 replaced, and I believe it is his intention to do that.
25
26 MR. JUSTICE BELL: How long is it since you first had cause to
27 talk to him about it?
28 A. I am aware that probably we have been talking about it
29 over the last three or four years, but I do not deal with
30 that kind of detail myself.
31
32 MS. STEEL: Is it right that a few years ago there was a fire
33 at his farm and several thousand birds died in that fire?
34 A. There may have been. I am sorry, I was not aware of
35 that.
36
37 Q. What steps or what procedures does the company have for
38 fires on the farm? That is something that is referred to
39 in the welfare codes, is it not?
40 A. Well, the procedures are based, first of all, on
41 preventative maintenance, to ensure that gas brooders which
42 are the principal source of possible fires are maintained
43 in a good condition, that they are used correctly, that
44 they are hung at the right height, that the flame is the
45 right size and those kind of maintenance features which are
46 important.
47
48 Q. Do you know of other fires that have occurred on Sun Valley
49 farms?
50 A. I am not specifically aware. I am aware that gas
51 brooders have from time to time caught fire. I am also
52 aware that there was a dust explosion which resulted in a
53 very severe fire on one of our farms in which a whole house
54 was lost -- not with birds in at the time.
55
56 Q. Have there been incidents that you know of where the birds
57 have been burnt to death in the sheds?
58 A. I am sure that has probably happened, although I am not
59 specifically aware myself where that has happened.
60
