Day 110 - 29 Mar 95 - Page 02


     
     1                                      Wednesday, 19th March 1995.
     2
     3   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  We will wait until Ms. Steel comes in.
     4
     5                      MS. LOUISE WALLICE, affirmed.
     6                       Examined by the Defendants
     7
     8   MS. STEEL:  If you can keep your voice up?  In December 1988 you
     9        attended Sun Valley's processing plant in Hereford; is that
    10        right?
    11        A.  Yes.
    12
    13   Q.   Why did you go to the processing plant?
    14        A.  I went there with other people to carry out an
    15        inspection of the conditions which chickens are transported
    16        into Sun Valley's processing plant.
    17
    18   Q.   Right.  What did you see when you got to the processing
    19        plant?
    20        A.  Well, shortly after we arrived at the processing plant
    21        a lorry ----
    22
    23   MR. RAMPTON:  I am afraid I am having the most awful difficulty
    24        hearing.
    25
    26   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.  It is not an easy court, so can you try
    27        to keep your voice up?  Speak out loud and clear.
    28
    29   MR. MORRIS:  The microphone does not amplify your voice.
    30
    31   THE WITNESS:  Shortly after we arrived outside Sun Valley's
    32        processing plant, a lorry containing a cargo of chickens
    33        turned up at the gate and stopped outside the gate.  We
    34        went up to the vehicle to inspect the conditions that the
    35        chickens were being transported in.
    36
    37   MS. STEEL:  What conditions did you see?
    38        A.  Well, the chickens were packed very tightly into
    39        crates, of a plastic mesh, which were piled one on top of
    40        the other in tiers.  The chickens were packed very tightly
    41        in these crates.  I would say there were at least 10 in
    42        each crate, but I was not able to see very far into the
    43        vehicle itself, so it is hard to say.  Because they were
    44        piled on top of each other in this way, the chickens'
    45        droppings had fallen down and the chickens on the bottom
    46        were covered in droppings.
    47
    48   Q.   What condition were the individual birds in?
    49        A.  Obviously, I could only see the birds nearest to the
    50        side of the lorry.  The ones that I saw were in a pretty 
    51        miserable condition.  A lot of the birds had feathers 
    52        missing, had extensive bald patches on their bodies; some 
    53        of the birds had scabs and sores.  They generally looked
    54        very listless and apathetic.  I actually poked my fingers
    55        through and touched some of the birds, but they did not
    56        respond at all, and just sat there looking pretty
    57        pathetic.  Some of the birds' eyes were shut and looked to
    58        me like they were about to die, and some of them had their
    59        mouths open and were panting and, obviously, in a state of
    60        great distress.

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