Day 109 - 28 Mar 95 - Page 12
1
2 Q. If you just read the parts that you think are relevant?
3 A. Yes. "The study on behaviour showed that the time to
4 recovery following a 105 milliamps stun was 52 seconds or
5 more after application of the current. The corresponding
6 values for 90 and 75 milliamps were 25 and 19 seconds
7 respectively and with currents less than this some birds
8 were not stunned. It is recommended, therefore, that a
9 stunning current of not less than 150 (sic) milliamps
10 should be used to provide at least 52 seconds of apparent
11 insensibility and that currents of less than 75 milliamps
12 should never be used".
13
14 Q. I think you said 150 -- it should be 105 actually?
15 A. Did I say 150? I am sorry. Then may I just say on the
16 previous, page 217, it says: "When 45 and 60 milliamps
17 were used some birds failed to lose neck tension and based
18 on this criterion they were not stunned". That is under
19 the recovery experiment, paragraph 2.
20
21 Q. While those are open, I believe that there was another
22 paper that you had mentioned?
23 A. What, the one with a similar title or "Humane
24 Slaughter"?
25
26 Q. I think it is the Alastair Mews one?
27 A. Yes.
28
29 Q. Was there any part of that you wanted to refer to?
30 A. Yes, there is if I could -- do you know where it is?
31
32 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It should be right at the back, the very last
33 thing in the bundle.
34 A. Yes. It is referring, it starts on page 2, really,
35 referring to experiments by Mr. Nick Lynn, an ADAS poultry
36 specialist, in 1992, at an abattoir processing about 8
37 million birds a year. "The mean current" -----
38
39 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Whereabouts on the page, three from the
40 bottom?
41 A. Page 2, yes, paragraphs at the bottom. It says: "The
42 average current was 128 milliamps with each bird in the
43 water bath for an average of four to five seconds". Then
44 if you turn the page, it describes how, this is the second
45 paragraph down: "This abattoir sells approximately 70 per
46 cent of its output as fresh portions to many leading stores
47 and supermarkets, including Harrods, Safeways and
48 Sainsburys. All birds are dead, (i.e. heart is
49 stopped) ------
50
51 Q. I am sorry, I always have to found where it is.
52 A. I am sorry, it is page 3, second paragraph.
53
54 Q. I have the page. It is the second paragraph, is it? Very
55 well. Yes, let me catch up with that.
56 A. "All birds are dead (i.e. heart is stopped) on
57 emergence from stunning water bath (current equals 120
58 milliamps per bird). A similar regime has been operating
59 for at least 10 years during which time some 70 to 80
60 million birds have been processed. According to the
