Day 088 - 13 Feb 95 - Page 12
1 having faeces stuck to their hide to any extent?
2 A. On arrival occasionally it can happen but not to any
3 very great degree.
4
5 Q. If you do see a pig with some muck sticking to it what do
6 you do about it?
7 A. We have a system in our lairage where we spray the pigs
8 and we have a different view on this to many people;
9 instead of a mist spray, we have actually a little needle
10 spray down the line of the lairage so that the pigs can
11 actually play with the water as well.
12
13 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Did you say "needle spray"?
14 A. Yes, or a jet spray. I did not want to say the word
15 "jet" because that gives the impression of a jet pressure
16 and so it is a very gentle, needle-like.
17
18 MR. RAMPTON: So, it does not go in a straight line at the pig?
19 A. No, no, it loops. And so the pigs can then play with
20 it. If we see any pigs that are, what I say, have faeces
21 on them, we will leave those pigs for an extra hour or so,
22 and they will play about and they will actually clean
23 themselves up very effectively.
24
25 Q. I will move on from there (because, as I say, I am on
26 hygiene at the moment) to the point at which the pig has
27 been stunned and has gone up on to the shackle line and is
28 stuck?
29 A. Yes.
30
31 Q. I will take it from there. Are there any hygiene problems
32 or difficulties at that stage, the point of sticking?
33 A. Yes, because our plant is the only plant in the world
34 where pigs' blood is collected for factor 8.
35
36 Q. To?
37 A. For factor 8, for haemophiliacs. So, the hygiene in
38 that area has to be very, very specific at the point of
39 sticking.
40
41 Q. Then what is the next stage in the operation after sticking
42 and bleeding, what happens next?
43 A. The pig has a rest period for the bleeding, you know,
44 after we have collected the pharmaceutical blood, and then
45 it goes to a scalding tank.
46
47 Q. To?
48 A. A scalding tank.
49
50 Q. Are there hygiene implications in the scalding tank?
51 A. Yes. One has to keep the temperature at a constant
52 approximately 61 degrees Centigrade and that is there in
53 the water for six and a half minutes.
54
55 Q. How do you ensure that that temperature remains constant?
56 A. We have to ensure that we have a fail-safe system in
57 our scalding tank which is computer controlled. One method
58 of heating is by steam which is the normal day-to-day
59 method, but is backed up, if there is a failure on the
60 boiler, by a gas system from the mains.
