Day 114 - 04 Apr 95 - Page 18
1
2 You see, it is difficult for them really to tell because if
3 the animal is felled and it goes down, the next thing is it
4 rolls out on the floor and possibly is taken away shackled,
5 and it is difficult for them really to ascertain that the
6 animal is without feeling at that point, because the next
7 stage is that it is going to have its throat cut and that
8 is a dramatic change in its affairs.
9
10 Q. In the middle of paragraph 147 we have a sentence starting
11 about eight lines down: "Incorrect positioning may cause
12 the animal to go down but may fail to produce
13 unconsciousness and insensibility and we have seen the
14 unpleasant effects of such ineffectual stunning where a
15 semi-conscious animal has had to be dropped out of the box
16 to be restunned". What does that mean, "had to be dropped
17 out of the box to be restunned"?
18 A. It means that it probably recovered sufficiently. It
19 started to show signs of breathing and getting up and so it
20 had to be put back in the box so that it could be given
21 another shot.
22
23 Q. It would not have been restunned in a different area?
24 A. It might even be restunned on the floor, yes.
25
26 Q. This is something I did not ask you about, 148: "In the
27 course of our slaughterhouse visits, we have frequently
28 examined carcass heads to check the site of bolt
29 penetration. In our view, there were far too many cases
30 where penetration had not been at or near the recommended
31 position and also evidence of a considerable number of
32 double shots (i.e. indicating that the first shot had
33 missed its proper target)."
34 A. Yes.
35
36 Q. Missing the position, does that reflect on the -----
37
38 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Look, just think about where you are going.
39 Were you going to ask Dr. Long what his experience was
40 first, because if you just go to his view, you may not have
41 the substratum of evidence unless you are able to persuade
42 me that this report is evidence.
43
44 MR. MORRIS: First of all, is that your experience, what they
45 say there ---
46 A. Yes.
47
48 Q. -- from what you have seen?
49 A. Yes, you get a certain number of double shots or even
50 multiple shots if you have a difficult animal. What is not
51 in that paragraph but I would remind you of is that in many
52 British slaughterhouses they use pithing, so that even if
53 the shot has not gone in too well, if the initial stun is
54 not too good, then you push a rod into the hole into the
55 back of head to the brain and that deadens the convulsions
56 after the stun. It is more for the safety of the
57 operatives than it is for the animal's welfare.
58
59 Now, that to some extent overcomes the problems that if the
60 initial stun has been a bit off centre, pithing is
