Day 113 - 03 Apr 95 - Page 33

     
     1
     2   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Can you answer Mr. Morris' questions first of
     3        all.  He was asking whether the therapeutic ones which, by
     4        the way, might have a growth promoting effect, not just
     5        curing disease, are used on whole herds?
     6        A.  In the case of cattle it is not so frequent.  It is
     7        very frequent in pigs and poultry.
     8
     9   Q.   Just pause a moment.  Did you mean to say that 40 to 50 per
    10        cent of cattle in this country will be given growth
    11        promoting drugs as growth promoters?
    12        A.  Yes, I would think, it is a guess, but I would think
    13        that is roughly what it is.
    14
    15   Q.   Where do you get those figures from?
    16        A.  From my observations and from studying the Farming
    17        Press to see what sort of figures -----
    18
    19   Q.   Not for a therapeutic purpose?
    20        A.  No.  They are given to add a bit more growth.  I left
         one out which is called monensin which is very relevant in
    22        this context.
    23
    24   Q.   But this is antibiotic growth promoters?
    25        A.  Yes, they are antibiotics but they are not used
    26        therapeutically.
    27
    28   Q.   I understand that.  But they are not hormonal drugs?
    29        A.  No.
    30
    31   Q.   You put those in a separate category altogether?
    32        A.  Yes.  I labour this point, my Lord, because farmers
    33        sometimes regard some of these things just as growth
    34        promoters and do not use the word "antibiotic".  Some of
    35        them are both and this leads to some confusion which I am
    36        trying to avoid.
    37
    38   Q.   Yes.  As far as I am concerned, you may be asked about that
    39        but at the moment all this is antibiotics?  That is what
    40        I have understood you to be dealing with.  So, when you
         gave the 40 to 50 per cent, that was antibiotics used as
    42        growth promoters rather than for a therapeutic purpose?
    43        A.  Yes.
    44
    45   Q.   Or rather than for a therapeutic purpose which might have a
    46        growth promoting function as well?
    47        A.  Yes.
    48
    49   Q.   That is what you are saying?
    50        A.  That is right.  The trade term is "production 
    51        enhancers". 
    52 
    53   MR. MORRIS:  Just in passing, you mentioned injection, you
    54        mentioned pigs in passing, more frequent in pigs and
    55        poultry, would pigs get -----
    56
    57   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Why not leave pigs on one side for the
    58        moment?  We will get terribly confused if we keep hopping
    59        from one foot to the other, so bear in mind you want to ask
    60        Dr. Long about that when you come to pigs.