Day 113 - 03 Apr 95 - Page 26
1 you have to face are the loading and unloading,
2 possibly -----
3
4 Q. We have dealt with that.
5 A. Yes, possibly they fall and slip off the ramps. You
6 asked me a specific question which I would answer, that the
7 slope of the ramp is very much a welfare matter because
8 animals, like cattle-- I think I have this the right way
9 round -- they have shorter legs in the front than the
10 back. So, they do not like going down hill. If you are
11 being chased by a bull, you run down hill. I think that is
12 right. The bull does not like to run down hill so much.
13
14 Now, that angle is recommended now in the Codes as being,
15 I think it is, about 20 degrees. Many of these ramps are
16 steeper than that, so that causes problem with stumbling
17 and possible injury.
18
19 Then you have the duration of the journey. With cattle, it
20 is noticeable that they generally stand up during the
21 journey in contrast to sheep and pigs. That means they get
22 fatigued. Standing up for a long time is quite fatiguing,
23 I can tell you. They, therefore, after a certain
24 time -----
25
26 Q. Can I say, if you wish to sit down at any stage, you can
27 draw up a chair?
28 A. Thank you. I was not making any hints.
29
30 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Nevertheless, if you do want to sit down at
31 any stage, just pull the chair forward. You have only two
32 legs rather than four.
33 A. Thank you very much for that consideration of my
34 welfare. I was going to say that after a long journey,
35 say, 12 hours or so, you have to think about the animal's
36 requirements of water and feed. They may be rather dull at
37 that time because cattle, in particular, do drink a lot.
38 So, one of the first things that you want to make sure
39 about is they get water.
40
41 MR. MORRIS: Do you have any concern that if they do not get
42 water, well, throughout their journey?
43 A. Yes. They lose a lot of -- well, they lose an
44 appreciable amount of weight. If over a small time you
45 lose weight, largely because you are urinating and
46 excreting -- in the case of cattle that will be very
47 liquid, so really they lose a lot of water -- then, from
48 the biochemical point of view, you would look at their
49 dehydration, because if they become dehydrated then their
50 immune systems are compromised. They are more likely to be
51 diseased or get an infection.
52
53 Q. So would that dehydration would take place even at fairly
54 shorter travelling times such as one hour, two hours or
55 three hours?
56 A. That would be more stress with the actual loading and
57 unloading. I am thinking of travelling times of eight
58 hours, perhaps, or more. It is noticeable that we have had
59 a multiresistant bug in the calf trade which has -- it is a
60 recurrent problem this, salmonella typhimurium, and we have
