Day 289 - 29 Oct 96 - Page 07

     
     1        because the higher the lighting the more activity of the
     2        birds and the more energy they dissipate in not growing.
     3        They produce more heat through their activity, so they are
     4        spending more time moving about and not growing so fast.
     5        That was on day 19, page 48, line 6.
     6
     7        Just in relation to the point that I went through yesterday
     8        about, firstly, how Sun Valley do not comply with the
     9        recommendations in the Farm Animal Welfare Council report
    10        on the welfare of broiler chickens by providing, firstly,
    11        inadequate levels of lighting, but secondly, they do not
    12        provide adequate periods of darkness every 24 hours.  They
    13        are not even complying with the minimum recommendations
    14        which are made by the Farm Animal Welfare Council.
    15
    16        But on top of that, I mean, that is basically, as we have
    17        said, the Farm Animal Welfare Council's report was
    18        basically taking into consideration all the economic
    19        considerations for the industry rather than solely the
    20        birds' welfare.  And Dr. Gregory did state in his evidence
         that where chickens have been provided with the facility to
    22        switch the lights on or off by operating a switch
    23        themselves, which they have been trained to operate, one
    24        study showed that they will elect to be in light for 80
    25        percent of the time.  So from the point of view of the
    26        birds' preference, there was a preference for a dark
    27        period.  That was on day 19, line, page 28, line 3.
    28
    29        Obviously, we would say that if the welfare of the birds
    30        was being given any kind of serious consideration, that
    31        that is exactly what would happen, the birds would have a
    32        period of darkness which was basically 20 percent of the 24
    33        hours - I haven't worked it out, it is just short of five
    34        hours - rather than a measly 20 to 30 minutes, which they
    35        get at Sun Valley Poultry.
    36
    37        On the matter of stocking density, which I went through
    38        yesterday, this is just an additional point.  Dr. Gregory
    39        said that he would definitely prefer to see birds stocked
    40        less densely than even the 34 kilograms per metre square
         that is recommended in the Farm Animal Welfare Council
    42        report.  He considered that 22 kilograms per metre square
    43        would be a useful goal.  That was on day 19, page 23, lines
    44        17 to 20.  He said that this was something that "we should
    45        aspire to that in a commercial context".  Clearly, we would
    46        say that even 22 kilograms per metre square is still giving
    47        too much concern to the commercial and economic factors in
    48        rearing the birds and not nearly enough consideration to
    49        the welfare implications for birds.  (Pause)
    50 
    51        Can I just make an additional point which I have just 
    52        remembered or I have just seen it again in the statement of 
    53        Dr. Gregory, which is on page 5 of his statement.  This is
    54        on the lighting point, and he says about measuring the
    55        lighting and that it was 75 to 80 lux at broiler head
    56        height.  He said that he was informed that this was the
    57        standard level of lighting used in the rearing sheds by the
    58        company.
    59
    60        So, clearly, he is being misled by whoever it was who was