Day 217 - 09 02 96 - Page 35

 
 

                                                                  DAY 217
 
                                                     MRS. HOVI, Examined:
 
 
 
     1        the ambient temperatures were satisfactory; it was the
     2        number of carcasses in there and the length of time they
     3        were allowed to stay there which matters.
     4
     5   MR. MORRIS:  All right, then.  We have dealt with the map.  The
     6        parts of Mr. Bone's statement which you have not
     7        specifically challenged, does that mean that you are
     8        accepting what he is saying in the rest?
     9        A.  Well, no.  I just find them -- I have already given a
    10        statement on those, and I have nothing more to add to
    11        that.
    12
    13   Q.   Right.
    14        A.  The last paragraph, I think that the matters that he
    15        states in the last paragraph, for example, which I did not
    16        comment on, we have discussed them separately when we
    17        discussed the chillers anyway, so I did not think that
    18        there was need for repeating that.
    19
    20   Q.   The standards that you were expecting of Jarrets, why were
    21        you setting those standards or why were you expecting those
    22        standards?  Are they your personal standards; are they high
    23        standards, low standards?  What are they, the standards
    24        which you are talking about that should have happened at
    25        Jarrets when you were there?
    26        A.  As far as I am concerned, they are the professional
    27        standards that any OVS would adhere to, to secure public
    28        health, and also to give the right advice for the abattoir,
    29        for them to pass their EC inspection.
    30
    31        One of the reasons why I was employed by Kingswood Council
    32        was my long experience in the past, my experience with EC
    33        regulations, and the fact that they were concerned.  They
    34        expressed their concern to me.  They said they were worried
    35        that Jarrets would not pass the next EC inspection unless
    36        changes were implemented; and the same message came through
    37        from the MAFF officials as well.
    38
    39        I felt both just pure professional responsibility, and
    40        I also felt an added responsibility of implementing changes
    41        where I felt that the standards were low.  I felt very much
    42        that that was the reason why I had been employed by them.
    43
    44   Q.   So the standards that you were seeking to ensure at the
    45        plant would be those which would get a pass -- would be
    46        acceptable to the EC inspections?
    47        A.  Yes.  I, personally, find the role of the OVS very much
    48        as an advisory role.  They have responsible to the public
    49        health, but they also have a responsibility to management
    50        of the abattoirs, to advise them so that they are not 
    51        apprehended by regulations that they are perhaps unfamiliar 
    52        with. 
    53
    54   Q.   If a plant passes EC inspection, does that mean that you
    55        would be 100 per cent satisfied with conditions in that
    56        plant?
    57        A.  No, not necessarily.
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Why do you ask that question -- because the
    60        vast part of Mrs. Hovi's evidence is related to matters she
 
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