Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 14
1 Q. From there it will go to the restaurant to be cooked and
2 sold to the customer?
3 A. To the distribution centres then.
4
5 Q. I am sorry, I left that out because it seems it, perhaps,
6 is not a significant stage in the food safety chain. Can
7 we make a mental note that it exists, but forgive me if I
8 do not always mention it.
9 A. OK, yes.
10
11 Q. Of those stages that I mentioned, farm, slaughterhouse,
12 processing plant and restaurant, is there any particular
13 one or more than one that carries an unusually high risk of
14 contamination?
15 A. Can you narrow it down to -- can I ask?
16
17 Q. Let me ask it a different way. Start with the farm, with a
18 cow on a farm or a herd of cows or steers on a farm. What
19 are the risks, so far as human health are concerned, which
20 may occur at that stage?
21 A. I would say that if you look at the literature, that
22 is, scientific literature, research, you can make a general
23 assumption that salmonella, the bacteria, or salmonellosis,
24 the disease, is the No. 1 concern or the highest risk when
25 it comes to beef cattle in the production area as well as
26 the processing.
27
28 Q. Can I make a slight digression now? I will not come back
29 to it. I take it you have heard of a cattle disease called
30 bovine spongiform encephalatis -- BSE?
31 A. Yes.
32
33 Q. Do you have that in the United States?
34 A. There have been no recorded cases or incidents in the
35 United States.
36
37 Q. Do you know that it has been a phenomenon in recent years
38 in this country?
39 A. Yes, I know.
40
41 Q. Have you discussed that problem with your colleagues and
42 other sorts of scientists and people like that in Europe?
43 A. Yes, I have. I have had discussions with numerous
44 people from the government to trade associations, the
45 British Livestock Commission and so forth, in Brussels with
46 the European Community.
47
48 Q. Have you studied the question whether the existence of BSE
49 in cattle presents any significant hazard to human health?
50 A. Yes, I have. That is one of my responsibilities to
51 make sure of the emerging trends or issues that arise
52 around the word, so yes, I have.
53
54 Q. So far as the present state of knowledge is concerned, what
55 conclusion have you drawn as to the existence or otherwise
56 of that hazard to human health?
57 A. To human's health, the research that has been
58 documented supports the fact that there is no direct link
59 or risk associated with the consumption of beef that comes
60 from animals that have BSE, that there is no risk to
