Day 103 - 14 Mar 95 - Page 26

     
     1   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  What is being suggested is, clearly, in
     2        those weeks no bins came in from VDB.  I suppose meat from
     3        VDB might or might not have been processed, if it was
     4        several weeks since you last had one, may be that is
     5        unlikely.  So, out of a generosity of information they have
     6        put what the last VDB reading was.
     7
     8   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, one sees a VDB consignment on the next
     9        page and where one gets what I take to be a true measure, I
    10        do not know.  There are eight bins on the fourth page for
    11        week beginning 24th January.
    12
    13   MR. MORRIS:  Anyway, on that page that we were on none of the
    14        percentage above 500,000 was filled in again, even though
    15        I count four highs above 500,000.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I cannot at the moment see the point in
    18        having a percentage above 500,000 column at all.  I assume
    19        the person filling it in could not see much point
    20        either.
         A.  Absolutely, and I am sure that is why it has not been
    22        done.
    23
    24   MR. MORRIS:  So, it would not concern you if a supplier was
    25        sending most of its meat above 500,000 bacteria per gramme?
    26        A.  Well, of course, one of the reasons why we do not buy
    27        from certain suppliers is if they do produce inferior
    28        quality in comparison with the other suppliers, and
    29        bacteriological testing is one method of measuring
    30        suppliers.
    31
    32   Q.   If we go to the last page in this particular document, this
    33        is also raw materials, yes?
    34        A.  Yes.
    35
    36   Q.   There is no difference between this document and the one
    37        before, is there?  What is the difference?  Is it just an
    38        updated document?
    39        A.  Well, it is different raw material.  That is all.
    40
    Q.   Sorry, what is the different raw material?
    42        A.  Well, there is light meat and skin.
    43
    44   Q.   What is this, sorry?  Is this skin, is it?  I cannot see
    45        anywhere where it says what it is.
    46        A.  Well, on the left-hand side it says Grandstand Road,
    47        light, meat, skin, Blaenavon which is a supplier and  -----
    48
    49   Q.   I see, so it is by type of meat, this one?  So why in the
    50        laboratory analysis the percentage suddenly is 5,000,000 or 
    51        is that a misprint -- the percentage of bacteria that you 
    52        are asking? 
    53        A.  I am not sure that I can see where you are referring
    54        to.
    55
    56   Q.   Sorry, in the middle box under Laboratory Analysis - Raw
    57        Materials, "percentage above 5,000,000", it says?
    58        A.  Well, as I said before, the absolute standard is 5 x 10
    59        to the 6 which is 5,000,000.  That is the rejectable
    60        standard.  The previous figure of 500,000 which is 5 x 10