Day 114 - 04 Apr 95 - Page 25

     
     1        contract or outside the contract suppliers yet again.
     2
     3   MS. STEEL:   Can I also say just on that subject, I remember
     4        that in the McDonald's Animal Welfare Policy statement
     5        where it mentions pigs, it actually does not refer to Bowes
     6        at all, it refers to Roach Bacon.  I think that they also
     7        receive supplies from that company, and that was a 1991
     8        document.
     9
    10   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What I suggest is we do not get bogged down
    11        in that now.  You can make these points in due course.
    12
    13   MS. STEEL:   OK.  (To the witness):  You mentioned about dry sow
    14        stalls and their prevalence five years ago when you gave
    15        evidence yesterday, but could you actually describe the dry
    16        sow stalls and the welfare implications of those?
    17        A.  Dry sow stalls are mainly a constraint to stop the sow
    18        from turning round while she is not -- while she is dry,
    19        that is, she has not got piglets to deal with, and
    20        primarily so that she faces towards the feed and her
         excretions go out at the back.  There is usually an area at
    22        the back where those can go away.
    23
    24        There are various types of flooring; they may be wooden,
    25        they may be concrete with some sort of straw on, or they
    26        may be mesh, metal mesh.  Sometimes, there is a backing out
    27        area, possibly shared by one or two sows, this is
    28        possible.  Sometimes the sows are taken out for a time into
    29        a small area at the back.
    30
    31        The main problems that you say from the point of view
    32        welfare is that, well, the animals cannot turn round and
    33        this seems to infringe one of the Farm Animal Welfare
    34        Freedom Codes straightaway.  The other point is that there
    35        is a great deal of evidence that the sows' tendencies for
    36        natural behaviour, particularly as she is a very maternal
    37        animal, that is exactly why she is there, her tendency is
    38        to want to build nests, and there is nothing for her to
    39        build nests with.
    40
         So, you noticed particularly pawing -- abnormal behaviour
    42         -- pawing and chewing at bars.  Now, it is true to say
    43        that another attitude with sows is that they very often
    44        sows will swallow a stone, partially swallow a stone,
    45        because they want to churn things around, a bit like
    46        chickens have in their gizzards, because these animals have
    47        not a rumen, of course.  If they are not outside and they
    48        have not got access to things like stones and bits and
    49        pieces that they can chew on and almost ruminate on, then
    50        they may, as part of their frustration, turn to the bars 
    51        and do that. 
    52 
    53        This sort stereotypy is common in animals.  It happens in
    54        horses if confined as well.  They are young animals, you
    55        must remember.  They are young, maternal animals and they
    56        show definite signs of deprivation and lack of exercise of
    57        the freedoms that the animal welfarists believe are
    58        essential.
    59
    60   Q.   Do you think that if a pig was being walked for five maybe