Day 101 - 10 Mar 95 - Page 41

     
     1   Q.   That is the same as you assume that if any of the other
     2        specifications -- sorry not specifications -- other
     3        requests that you have made concerning either welfare or
     4        hygiene that your suppliers would tell you if there was
     5        something going wrong?
     6        A.  Yes. Sorry, could you say that again?
     7
     8   Q.   You assume that everything is OK, that everything is all
     9        right in the hygiene and welfare department if your
    10        suppliers have not told you that there is something going
    11        wrong?
    12        A.  Well, they continually monitor those areas and we have
    13        access to their reports and their records.  We will look at
    14        those when we visit them.  If they find a particular
    15        problem that they are not comfortable with, I would expect
    16        them to bring it to our attention.
    17
    18   Q.   Because so far as you are aware, they have not brought
    19        anything to your attention you assume everything is OK?
    20        A.  Unless I am told otherwise I cannot really assume
         anything else.
    22
    23   Q.   If one of the suppliers was using goads what would you do
    24        about it?
    25        A.  If one of the abattoirs are you talking about?
    26
    27   Q.   Yes.
    28        A.  Was using a goad, I would expect McKey's to act on that
    29        and stop them using it.  That is the whole point of doing
    30        the checks.  There is no point in doing checks if you are
    31        never going to, if everything is going fine. The whole
    32        point of doing checks to find out if anything is wrong and
    33        if they found out that somebody who was a supplier was
    34        using a goad, I would expect them to prevent that supplier
    35        from using a goad.
    36
    37   Q.   Why do you not yourself or not you yourself but your
    38        department go to McDonald's far more frequently?  Why do
    39        you decide to leave it up to your suppliers?
    40        A.  Well, we only have enough people to -- this is normal
         practice within the food industry to audit your primary
    42        supplier.  I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere.
    43        Now we are responsible by the fact that we ensure that we
    44        have suppliers that will then go on and do the monitoring
    45        back down the chain.  We only monitor our primary
    46        suppliers.   On occasion we go even further than that, and
    47        that is quite unusual within the food industry to actually
    48        do that, but we do that on occasions.
    49
    50   Q.   In terms of McDonald's turnover or profits, it would not 
    51        cost very much, would it, to employ someone full time to go 
    52        around checking on animal welfare? 
    53        A.  Well, there is a guy employed full time at McKey's who
    54        goes round and does that.
    55
    56   Q.   But if you are so concerned about animal welfare, why do
    57        not McDonald's do it themselves?
    58        A.  I cannot answer that question.  I am not in a position
    59        to employ anyone to do that.
    60