Day 115 - 06 Apr 95 - Page 34
1 things like DDT, lindane turned up in sheep, for instance.
2 Well, that is where The Soil Association attempts to break
3 any transmission of that sort, because they do not approve
4 of the use of chemical pesticides on the land for the crops
5 and for the crops that are fed to the animals. So, the
6 transmission, the chain of transmission, is much weaker;
7 perhaps it should be completely broken.
8
9 Q. Do they also have a position on the use of drugs in
10 livestock?
11 A. Yes, they have a very strong position, but let me
12 emphasise, that there is no question of cruelty in not
13 treating an animal. They will, if an animal goes sick,
14 just like if a human being goes sick, they will treat it by
15 the best veterinary practice, but they will tend to treat
16 the animal individually rather than just resorting to mass
17 medication.
18
19 Q. Do they take other steps to reduce the use of drugs as
20 well, preventative measures or anything like that?
21 A. Well, yes, what I would call good husbandry.
22
23 Q. For example, the less intensive system?
24 A. A less intensive system, taking more care, more
25 stockmanship which, of course, all adds to the price,
26 because at the moment one is intensifying to reduce the
27 employment, the care, the stockmanship, and all the time to
28 produce cheap food which, in my opinion, is meretriciously
29 cheap.
30
31 MR. MORRIS: The last question is you just mentioned there with
32 The Soil Association's concern over pesticides getting into
33 the animal. What is the concern about that regarding human
34 health?
35 A. Certain pesticides, I mentioned DDT as a sort of old
36 favourite, well, I suppose quite the reverse, it is not a
37 favourite, it is an old enemy. They are concerned that
38 these residues will do no good to human consumers. After
39 all, they are pesticides. The very ending "cide" means
40 they are cideal which means they kill living things.
41
42 Now, what one has to be certain about is that they kill the
43 parasite but not the host. They have concerns (and these
44 concerns, to some extent, are entertained by the
45 regulations pertaining to the use of these things) they
46 have some concerns that careless use of these will come
47 through into the human chain and cause illnesses that are
48 very difficult to follow, because they are insidious and
49 there are really no good statistics. You know, people have
50 a rash or something; why do they have a rash? Why do they
51 feel down some days? Nobody really knows. So, they are
52 really trying to cut down those risks, taking the effort
53 that if in doubt, leave it out.
54
55 Q. Do you share their concerns on that subject?
56 A. I do.
57
58 MR. MORRIS: Thank you, no further questions.
59
60 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Thank you, Dr. Long.
