Day 108 - 27 Mar 95 - Page 24

     
     1        from the catching process.
     2
     3   Q.   That is across the battery industry, is it?
     4        A.  Yes, that was from a large, you know, it was a test but
     5        it was assumed to be typical, yes.
     6
     7   Q.   Why initially, or why for the first ten years of your
     8        investigations into the poultry industry, were you
     9        concerned with battery chickens rather than broiler
    10        chickens?
    11        A.  Because we had heard much more about the welfare
    12        problems.  It was a much more obvious welfare problem with
    13        the confinement and, in fact, in 1980 to 1989 the House of
    14        Commons Agriculture Committee investigated the intensive
    15        animal husbandry systems, and they stuck to veal
    16        production, pigs and the battery hen, and they actually
    17        said in their -----
    18
    19   Q.   That was a paper that was handed in this morning.  Perhaps
    20        if we get it out and you refer to a specific point?
         A.  Yes, is it here?
    22
    23   Q.   It should be the one that I handed in this morning?
    24        A.  Yes, here we are.
    25
    26   Q.   It is the House of Commons First Report from the
    27        Agriculture Committee Session 1980 to 1982, Animal Welfare
    28        and Poultry Pig and Veal Plant Production.
    29        A.  Yes, shall I read this out?
    30
    31   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Refer me to -----
    32        A.  It is paragraphs 168 and 169, I think.
    33
    34   Q.   Yes.
    35
    36   MS. STEEL:  What were you particularly pointing out with respect
    37        to this?
    38        A.  That they did not -- they had received no evidence, it
    39        says -- what are the actual words -- "we received no
    40        evidence that over-stocking was prevalent, or that the
         recommendation of the Codes are inadequate".
    42
    43        In other words, they had had no real indication.  It says:
    44         "The raising of broiler chickens, turkeys and ducks does
    45        not pose comparable problems and was little mentioned in
    46        evidence".  So, really, there have not been a lot of
    47        information distributed about the broiler system and,
    48        personally, I was sort of dimly aware that all was not
    49        well, but I did not really think that the problems were
    50        anything like as urgent as the battery hen problems. 
    51 
    52   Q.   I just noticed at the top of that page the reference to the 
    53        "induced molting".  Is that what you were describing just
    54        previously?
    55        A.  Where is that, please?
    56
    57   Q.   At 166.
    58        A.  Yes, that is it, yes.  In fact, I remember there was an
    59        ADAS booklet -- I think it was No. 13 -- which they
    60        published and it said "withhold food and water for 28