Day 104 - 15 Mar 95 - Page 07

     
     1
     2   Q.   Do those two large companies -- I do not desire the
     3        identities -- have to do with meat?
     4        A.  They are meat -- they are major companies in the meat
     5        industry.
     6
     7   Q.   What sorts of things do you advise them on, again not
     8        giving away trade secrets?
     9        A.  I advise them on any discussions that they are having
    10        with the enforcement authorities on a day-to-day basis;
    11        I advise them on setting up quality assurance systems which
    12        is a growth area, almost a growth industry, if I can put it
    13        that way, over the past five years.
    14
    15   Q.   Why is it a growth industry or has it become one?
    16        A.  Well, since the 1990 Food Safety Act it has become
    17        necessary for all companies to be able to demonstrate due
    18        diligence should they choose to use that as a defence, and
    19        that does involve the keeping of a large number of records.
    20
    Q.   So?
    22        A.  And the systems have to be set up.
    23
    24   Q.   I think we have understood this before so we get it
    25        straight, if somebody is taken to court they can point the
    26        court at their systems, though something may have gone
    27        wrong and if the court is satisfied that the systems are in
    28        theory and in practice or should be effective to prevent
    29        the error, then the defence may work and the company may be
    30        acquitted?
    31        A.  Indeed.
    32
    33   Q.   Is that how it works?
    34        A.  That is correct.
    35
    36   Q.   What is an HACCP system?
    37        A.  The acronym, is the term that they use these days, the
    38        letters stand for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
    39        Points.
    40
    Q.   What is it designed to do?
    42        A.  It is designed to be the basis of the system I have
    43        just referred to and, essentially, what happens is that the
    44        process under investigation is split up into its component
    45        parts, as it were.  Each part of the process is listed,
    46        documented and then an examination is made of those
    47        processes which are critical to the success of the quality
    48        assurance operation.
    49
    50   Q.   Is there any provision of law which requires a company to 
    51        install an HACCP system? 
    52        A.  Not in a fresh meat wholesale business.  In certain 
    53        meat products business there is an EC directive which is
    54        introducing the idea, but that has not gone further than
    55        that.
    56
    57   Q.   It is not law yet?
    58        A.  No.
    59
    60   Q.   Look at the matter from a practical standpoint, one might