Day 290 - 30 Oct 96 - Page 06
1 never out-bred, that they are never lost by changes in the
2 habitat, that they are still there precisely the same, and
3 that this only served to underline the cruelty of modern
4 systems and the right of chickens to live a natural life.
5 That was on day 108, page 16, line 43.
6
7 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
8
9 MS. STEEL: We asked her for her opinion on the refusal of
10 Sun Valley to allow her to inspect the company's farms and
11 slaughter plants for the purposes of making a detailed
12 report for this trial. Obviously, that is something that
13 we consider completely unjustified. She said: "Obviously
14 it is disappointing but I suppose that we are used to being
15 considered something of a threat, not a literal threat, but
16 I consider the poultry industry is one which attempts to
17 hide the true conditions in which the birds are kept. We -
18 that is the Farm Animal Welfare Network - have been
19 instrumental very largely in exposing these conditions and
20 we are not popular. That does not surprise me at all, but
21 obviously the more I see the more I learn and I am
22 disappointed that we have seen so few broiler sheds from
23 inside, personally, live, but that has not stopped me
24 building up a very accurate picture of what goes on." She
25 did relate that she had paid visits to broiler houses and
26 seen the inside of them shortly after this point, which was
27 on day 108, page 44.
28
29 In answer to, I think, something that was said by Dr.
30 Pattison that she was not objective, she stated that she
31 was objective but that her primary concern was for the
32 welfare of the birds. That was day 108, page 44, line 40.
33 Obviously, we would share that view as well.
34
35 She gave evidence about the conditions for transporting
36 chickens and she expressed her concerns about the welfare
37 of the chickens during transport 20 to 30 miles or up to 70
38 miles to the slaughter house. She said: "Obviously the
39 longer the distance the more we feel concerned;
40 particularly if the birds are injured in any way, it is
41 obvious that the longer they are in pain the worse the
42 welfare problem." That was day 109, page 20, line 21.
43
44 Bearing in mind the evidence of Mr. Bruton that birds were
45 frequently injured during the catching process and when
46 they were being loaded into the modules, then obviously
47 what Mrs. Druce says is very applicable to Sun Valley.
48
49 She also said that it was a matter of concern that chickens
50 did not have access to water and food for several hours
51 throughout the catching and transportation process. She
52 said that was unsatisfactory. She said that the whole
53 thing was a highly unsatisfactory period, the whole of the
54 catching, transport and waiting up to three hours for
55 slaughter. That was on day 109, page 20.
56
57 She went on to the slaughter of animals and said that in
58 relation to the shackling of birds upside down on the
59 slaughter line, it is a position that the bird is not ever
60 in normally and so it would clearly be a frightening and
