Day 108 - 27 Mar 95 - Page 30

     
     1        A.  Well, for instance, it says on page 477 -----
     2
     3   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Let me just read the summary at the top.
     4        Yes?
     5
     6   THE WITNESS:  Can I draw your attention to the last --
     7        penultimate paragraph?
     8
     9   MS. STEEL:  That is page 478?
    10        A.  Yes.
    11
    12   Q.   Right, yes.  If you just want to read out the part that you
    13        think is  -----
    14        A.  "Because of the conditions in which broilers on large
    15        units are reared, it is virtually impossible to guarantee
    16        the complete removal of all carcasses from the environment/index.html">litter.  In
    17        view of the possible disease problems associated with
    18        broiler environment/index.html">litter, methods of safe disposal are of paramount
    19        importance.  In the past it may have been assumed that the
    20        application of environment/index.html">litter to grass to be cut for a conserved
         crop such as silage would be a safe alternative to direct
    22        grazing with livestock.  In the light of the experience on
    23        farm 1 this assumption should be questioned".
    24
    25   Q.   While you have that open, behind that is there a letter
    26        from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food?
    27        A.  No.
    28
    29   Q.   There is not?
    30        A.  I do not think so.
    31
    32   Q.   Do you think without picking up birds it is possible for
    33        their individual welfare to be checked upon?
    34        A.  No, I do not because I had an example of this; we went
    35        to Gleadthorpe which is the MAFF experimental husbandry
    36        farm in Nottinghamshire.  We went specifically to discuss
    37        broilers in the early days of our investigation.  I well
    38        remember that we were being shown round by a Dr. Mandy Hill
    39        who was the director of the poultry side of Gleadthorpe.
    40
         We asked to see the feet or hocks of one, any broiler, and
    42        she picked one up and it had hock burns, quite pronounced
    43        ones, and that, I think, shows that really you do need to
    44        look at the individual bird to know what is wrong, because
    45        that was not even a very typical; it was in smaller groups
    46        and less closely stocked than a typical broiler unit with
    47        more staff than would be typical as well.
    48
    49   Q.   Do you know what size the flocks were at Gleadthorpe?
    50        A.  They were probably divided into 200 and that type of 
    51        thing, because they were testing various -- I cannot 
    52        remember what, but it was an experiment rather than a 
    53        typical farm.
    54
    55   Q.   Do you know what the stocking density was?
    56        A.  No, I do not remember.
    57
    58   Q.   But would it have been ---
    59        A.  It was, I think it was more generous, yes.
    60