Mr. Michael Sheahan:

Yes, records are kept. Even though the violence we saw inflicted on the horses with pipes and sticks and whatever was horrendous, it probably would not be enough to cause damage that would be visible on the horse at antemortem inspection. Unless it was really severe and repeated, it probably would not be enough to see bruising on the carcasses or whatever. In the normal course of events, the antemortem inspection is carried out in the plant. A certain number of horses do get turned down. When I look back over the records it is mostly not for welfare issues but to do with the passport not matching the animal, difficulties in finding the chip and things like that. Animals do get picked up and do not actually pass antemortem inspections and have to be killed and go for animal byproducts and not for human consumption.

I have had detailed conversations with our vet in the plant. In the shed next door, the treatment of the horses was terrible - we have already said that - and there were some sick horses in there. There was a dying horse and all that kind of appalling stuff. From talking to our vet in the plant and from what I saw the day I was there a couple of years ago, the horses presented in the plant are in relatively good condition. They do not come into our lairage in the abattoir. They do not present sick horses. They do not present dying horses. They do not even present lame horses. I had discussions regarding lameness. They never present an animal that is severely lame. Occasionally, a horse will be presented who is very slightly lame such that it would not be fit for racing or something like that but not lame from a welfare point of view. They are quite careful or clever - whatever way you want to put it - to only present animals that in relatively good condition despite what is happening next door, which is unspeakable.