Day 098 - 07 Mar 95 - Page 05

     
     1
     2   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What is it about the hindquarter or rear
     3        quarter of an older cow which makes it either unsaleable
     4        or  -----
     5        A.  OK.  Generally speaking, the hindquarter cuts of an
     6        animal are the roasting/steaking parts of the animal.
     7
     8   Q.   Yes, the better cuts, are they?
     9        A.  If you like, yes, and an older cow may not display the
    10        right qualities in its muscle for the desired size and
    11        shape of these cuts.
    12
    13   Q.   Is there an age when cows tend to reach that stage or can
    14        you just not say?
    15        A.  Impossible, sir, I just do not know.
    16
    17   Q.   You do not know.  Thank you.
    18
    19   MR. MORRIS:  When you said there is a tag tracing the cattle to
    20        the farm of origin ---
         A.  Yes.
    22
    23   Q.   -- that is the farm that it has been purchased from, is it?
    24        A.  Yes.
    25
    26   Q.   It is not the farm that it was born on, if it had been
    27        transferred five times in its lifetime to different -----
    28        A.  Not necessarily, no, although some animals have a kind
    29        of identification document which follows them through that
    30        cycle.
    31
    32   Q.   Yes, but you would not collect all the identification
    33        documents, would you?
    34        A.  We do for the -- I believe we do for the cattle which
    35        have them, yes.
    36
    37   Q.   The ones that have them.  So, for most of the cattle it is
    38        not possible to say when you get them which farms they have
    39        been staying on in their lives, that is generally true,
    40        yes?
         A.  It is true, yes, but whether ----
    42
    43   Q.   It is not a trick question.
    44        A.  No, but whether a farmer is likely to move cattle
    45        around or within farms, I do not really know.
    46
    47   Q.   I want to get out the Jarret floor plan that we looked at
    48        yesterday.
    49        A.  Is it No. 9?
    50 
    51   Q.   I cannot remember.  There is a file that says "Jarrets" 
    52        documents on it. 
    53
    54   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is yellow IX.  If you would not mind
    55        getting that, Mr. Chambers, and the last document in front
    56        of tab 10.  It is the folding one.  You have your hand on
    57        it now.
    58
    59   MR. MORRIS:  You said you have two carcasses at a time at
    60        Midland Meat Packers going along the line; is that correct?