Day 290 - 30 Oct 96 - Page 13

     
     1        consisted of asking her whether or not she had permission
     2        to film the birds, which was completely irrelevant as to
     3        the conditions that they were in.  And he also asked about
     4        the fact that she had reported the conditions that she
     5        found the chickens in to, I think, Ministry of Agriculture
     6        Fisheries and Food, and that the MAFF had decided to take
     7        no action over the conditions the birds were in.
     8
     9        And I asked her on page 9, line 42: "If it was the case
    10        that MAFF did not prosecute the farmer for these chickens,
    11        does that make you feel that everything that you saw was
    12        okay"..  She said: "Not at all.  I know what I saw.  The
    13        fact is there were so many birds there and it was such a
    14        common occurrence with birds to have these grotesque hip
    15        and leg deformities, that birds put on a maximum amount of
    16        weight and therefore they have these displacements, the hip
    17        joints go and the leg deformities arrive."  She said she
    18        believe MAFF did not prosecute because if they prosecuted
    19        this particular farm they would have to prosecute every
    20        broiler farm in the country, and that was a massive
         problem.
    22
    23        We say that goes to the point made by Mrs. Druce about the
    24        inadequacy of the MAFF inspections and the fact that even
    25        when conditions are disgusting and inhumane for the birds,
    26        as we could all see with our own eyes on the video, MAFF do
    27        not take any action.
    28
    29        On battery chickens, Mrs. Druce gave evidence that battery
    30        chickens usually go for slaughter at around 76 weeks of
    31        age, and that normally chickens can live up to five or six
    32        years.  That was on day 108, page 22, line 27.  We would
    33        say that, obviously, the curtailment of the birds' lives to
    34        that extent is cruel, although perhaps in the case of
    35        battery chickens it might come as a relief to them because
    36        of the appallingly inhumane conditions that they are reared
    37        under.
    38
    39        Obviously, we have the admission by McDonald's about the
    40        conditions that the birds are reared under, that the
         battery chickens at Osters supply McDonald's with their
    42        eggs in this country, that the chickens do not have access
    43        to fresh air or sunshine, or the open air and sunshine.
    44        Can I just say on that fresh air point, to me fresh air and
    45        open air are exactly the same things.  If I use the phrase
    46        fresh air...
    47
    48   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   I understand that.  My only quibble with it
    49        was that I understand the leaflet really to mean open air.
    50 
    51   MS. STEEL:   Yes. 
    52 
    53   MR JUSTICE BELL:  There we are.  Anyway, if you say fresh air, I
    54        am sure we have the same thing in mind.
    55
    56   MS. STEEL:   Yes.  It is just like saying 'I am going out to get
    57        some fresh air'.
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   I introduced the phrase fresh air first of
    60        all, anyway.  Yes.