Day 114 - 04 Apr 95 - Page 27
1 analysis against the evidence you have got from various
2 witnesses which you argue to me shows prevalent practices.
3 I know Mr. Morris has the point, because when it has been
4 one incident, he has said: "Do not bother with that" and
5 got on to where it might be more widespread than, for
6 instance, one example of experience of sticking a beast
7 without stunning it.
8
9 What I suggest you do is provide me with some kind of
10 analysis of what you say your evidence is of significantly
11 prevalent practices in the industry, in general, and then
12 match against that the evidence which McDonald's have
13 called as to actual practices in relation to their animals
14 and where you say there are gaps in that evidence, but do
15 not get bogged down on it now.
16
17 MS. STEEL: I have one note which says that it is currently less
18 than 10 per cent of their suppliers using dry sow stalls,
19 but five years ago it would have been more.
20
21 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I remember something like that, but I am not
22 stopping you getting yourselves together on that in due
23 course because it is something I will need assistance on,
24 in the light of the situation you are in where you have not
25 had your own witnesses go into, for instance, all the
26 suppliers or abattoirs which provide meat ultimately for
27 McDonald's.
28
29 So, I am alert to the point. It would be for you to make
30 sure that I have not overlooked something which you say is
31 a significant -- I do not need every detail -- point in
32 your favour.
33
34 MS. STEEL: Can I just say in terms of one thing, which is that
35 although sometimes the percentages sound small, when you
36 are thinking about the huge number of animals going through
37 -----
38
39 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am well aware that a small percentage may
40 be a large number of animals.
41
42 THE WITNESS: Would you like me just to tell you that I think
43 the animal slaughter rate in the UK of pigs is about 16
44 million.
45
46 MS. STEEL: Right, thank you. Sorry, I was trying to finish
47 off the ------
48
49 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You had asked about dry sow stalls.
50
51 MS. STEEL: I had not quite finished actually.
52 (To the witness): Effectively, once the sow becomes
53 pregnant for the first time, if dry sow stalls are being
54 used followed by farrowing crates, is it the standard in
55 the industry that sows spend virtually the whole of their
56 lives in either sow stalls or farrowing crates?
57 A. In that system, yes.
58
59 Q. In terms of the size of the sow, are the dry sow stalls and
60 farrowing crates virtually the same size?
