Day 077 - 25 Jan 95 - Page 17

     
     1
     2   Q.   What about your beef suppliers?  Your beef suppliers,
     3        I assume, are all slaughterhouses?
     4        A.  Yes, all the suppliers that we have are EEC approved
     5        slaughterhouses and boning rooms.  We will not purchase any
     6        meat unless it is EEC approved.
     7
     8   Q.   We are going to deal with slaughtering in some detail very
     9        shortly, Mr. Walker.  Do you have knowledge of the
    10        standards of slaughterhouses which are not EC approved but
    11        are US DA approved?
    12        A.  Do I have knowledge of the slaughter?
    13
    14   Q.   Have you seen any slaughterhouses which outside the EC or
    15        wherever in the world that are US DA approved?
    16        A.  Oh, yes, I have outside the EC.  As a matter of fact,
    17        there is only one abattoir within the EEC, within the
    18        British Isles, including Ireland, which is US DA approved,
    19        but outside that particular abattoir in terms of numerous
    20        abattoirs in the United States of America, yes, I have seen
         US DA approved abattoirs.
    22
    23   Q.   This will sound to you an idiotic question, have you in the
    24        course of your long career seen many abattoirs?
    25        A.  Yes -- too many.
    26
    27   Q.   From that long experience, how do you rate the standards to
    28        be found in US DA approved abattoirs that you have seen?
    29        A.  Any abattoir which is US DA approved is first class.
    30        It is the system that makes them first class, the system of
    31        inspection.
    32
    33   Q.   Inspection by whom?
    34        A.  Inspection by veterinary officers and qualified meat
    35        inspectors in US DA abattoirs.
    36
    37   Q.   By how many different categories of personnel, excluding
    38        your own staff, are abattoirs in this country inspected?
    39        A.  Two.
    40
    Q.   Who are?
    42        A.  The veterinary -- three:  The Ministry, the Ministry
    43        inspects them, the LVOs inspect them and the EHOs inspect
    44        them, local veterinary officers and environmental health
    45        officers.
    46
    47   Q.   Perhaps I should ask you this first:  Of those three
    48        categories of officers, personnel, are there any that are
    49        more or less in permanent attendance at an abattoir in this
    50        country that is EC approved? 
    51        A.  Has to be, has to be a veterinary officer, both 
    52        antemortem and postmortem. 
    53
    54   Q.   His function antemortem has to do with what?
    55        A.  Checking the state of the animals when they arrive, the
    56        unloading of the animals, any injured animals on arrival,
    57        the condition of the layerages, and right up until the
    58        actual killing commences.
    59
    60   Q.   We will look in detail later on, Mr. Walker, at your own