Day 067 - 15 Dec 94 - Page 12
1 been negligence on your part, on the human part, that is
2 when the law takes into effect.
3
4 Q. If, for example, animals reared for McDonald's were being
5 kept at greater than the recommended stocking densities,
6 you would not terminate a supplier for that unless you
7 could see that they were visibly suffering?
8 A. Not necessarily. The stocking densities again are
9 guidelines. What we look for is that animal, or the first
10 thing, have we done everything, have we done what is
11 reasonable in terms of providing care in management to that
12 animal? Does that animal show significant stress to the
13 point where you feel it is obvious? That is what we look
14 for.
15
16 The over-stocking is just a very small factor that will
17 determine the welfare of an animal. We do not make
18 decisions on one minute or two minute span on the lifetime
19 of an animal. We take an approach that we should consider
20 the whole life-span of the animal. If they are
21 over-stocked for one or two days, that does not mean that
22 the animal has been subjected to unreasonable stress and we
23 take that approach.
24
25 Q. If the animals were over-stocked for a week or two weeks,
26 would that be contrary to your specifications?
27 A. No. Let me see if I can clarify this question again.
28 Over-stocking, I do not know what degree of over-stocking
29 you mean, if you only mean one per cent. If it means
30 over-stocking at 10 times the recommended guidelines, we
31 would reach a totally different conclusion. We do not look
32 at every possible guideline that there is.
33
34 McDonald's cares about the welfare of the animal. We look
35 at the animal and ask ourselves have we provided care to
36 that animal? Have we managed the environment for the
37 animal to grow and be healthier? That is what we look
38 for. We do not look at, is it over-stock? The animal
39 could be perfectly healthy, it could be perfectly well, if
40 it is over-stocked. We look at the overall environment in
41 which the animal lives and the effects of that environment
42 in the animal. The animal will tell you if he has been
43 treated properly. The animal will tell you if we have
44 provided adequate care -- and McDonald's cares ---
45
46 Q. How will he tell you?
47 A. -- about the welfare of animals.
48
49 Q. How will it tell you?
50 A. You can look at the feathers; you can look at the eyes
51 of the birds; you can look at the gained weight of the
52 animals. If an animal that is not well treated would not
53 gain weight, will become sicker than an animal that is
54 normal. It will just show. When you see a sick animal,
55 you will see it, just like when you see a person that is
56 sick, a human person that is sick, that is suffering from a
57 cold, from a headache, he shows signs. You can see their
58 expressions. You can see it in a dog, you can see the
59 shineness of the hair on a dog; it is the same thing with
60 animals.
