Day 108 - 27 Mar 95 - Page 23

     
     1        very popular, false molting.  I have the impression it is
     2        less popular now but I am not too sure.
     3
     4   Q.   Would that be on top of the 76 weeks then?  That would be
     5        after the 76 weeks?
     6        A.  Yes, because the first year of lay is by far the most
     7         -- not by far but it is the best year of lay.
     8
     9   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What age do they start laying?
    10        A.  About 18 weeks, 20 weeks at the most.
    11
    12   Q.   I am not sure I follow.  When you say the "first year of
    13        laying", you mean the first 52 weeks?
    14        A.  Yes, after they have started to lay up to ----.
    15
    16   Q.   That is about 70 weeks?
    17        A.  Yes.
    18
    19   Q.   Then you did say 76 weeks, did you? .
    20        A.  That seems to be a figure I have very firmly in mind
         but anywhere in the 70 weeks.
    22
    23   Q.   What I am trying to do is, I can see if you kill them after
    24        a year's laying, because you think that has been most
    25        productive, then you would kill them at about 70 weeks.  If
    26        you get them into a second year of laying, if they went
    27        through the whole of that, it would be something like 120
    28        weeks.  Is your 76 weeks one season but an extended,
    29        slightly extended, year or something?  Where does it come
    30        from?  Can you say?
    31        A.  No.  I have just read it so often it is in my mind but
    32        it is, you know, roughly a year in laying.
    33
    34   Q.   It is basically one year of laying on top from 18 weeks or
    35        whatever?
    36        A.  From 18 weeks which is when they are introduced into
    37        the cages, yes.
    38
    39   Q.   Yes.
    40
    MS. STEEL:  Are there particular welfare problems associated
    42        with the clearing out of battery sheds at the end of the
    43        laying period?
    44        A.  Yes, there are enormous problem because by that time
    45        the brittle bone syndrome is very well advanced, and they
    46        have tried various -- there was a recommendation, I think
    47        it was brought in by the NFU, to put the baffle plates to
    48        try to slide them out more carefully but researches have
    49        found that that has not made much improvement.
    50 
    51        The birds are grabbed of course.  As I have explained, the 
    52        lower cages are very, very low and very dimly lit and, 
    53        really, the catchers are working fast and they grab the
    54        legs, and I have heard of (and I know people who have seen
    55        them) legs left behind, that type of thing, and it is not
    56        surprising because they are very brittle by then.  It is a
    57        fast and furious process and many bones get broken.
    58
    59        Dr. Gregory's research at Bristol found that by the time
    60        they are being transporting 24 per cent have broken bones