Day 018 - 26 Jul 94 - Page 24
1 Q. Did you find that 0.7 per cent of those birds did show a
reflex response?
2 A. Yes, I did.
3 Q. Does that mean that we conclude when they had their necks
cut they were in some sense still conscious?
4 A. That 0.7 per cent?
5 Q. Yes.
A. Yes, they were.
6
MR. JUSTICE BELL: That is seven in 1,000?
7 A. Correct. That, can I add?
8 MR. RAMPTON: Yes.
A. That bird had a dry head when I pulled the head so,
9 evidently, it had missed the stunner rather than
being inadequately stunned by the stunner.
10
Q. I follow that. It is right, is it not, that the bird is
11 supposed to be -- I do not know; you tell me -- I will
start again. After the neck has been cut and the bird has
12 been bled, it goes into a scalding bath to get rid of the
feathers; is that right?
13 A. Yes.
14 Q. In what condition is the bird supposed to be by the time
it gets to the scalding tank, or whatever the thing is
15 called?
A. It should be dead. The only other alternative is to
16 be irreversibly unconscious, but most people think that it
should be dead.
17
Q. Did you examine birds to see whether they were showing
18 signs of rythmic breathing after neck cutting?
A. Yes.
19
Q. Were there any birds you examined which, in your opinion,
20 were still conscious at that stage?
A. At the time of scalding, no.
21
Q. Did you conclude that though the system employed for
22 stunning and killing the birds was not ideal from the
welfare point of view, it could not be faulted in terms of
23 the recovery of consciousness during the bleeding period,
that is to say, after its neck has been cut?
24 A. Yes, I did.
25 Q. I do not know what page we are on now; it might be 8. In
the last paragraph about chickens on page 8 of your
26 report, what you have just told us it has been recommended
that birds should be dead at scalding. Do you have that?
27 A. I have.
28 Q. "The only acceptable alternative would be
irreversibly"----?
29 A. "Unconscious" that should be. I beg your pardon.
30 Q. The state of irreversible consciousness might be very
desirable, but it might be quite tiring. "At the plant a
