Day 240 - 24 Apr 96 - Page 19

     
     1        positively to the initiative that we took, and again
     2        I quote, "if we were to act on that, I feel that this is an
     3        excellent opportunity to kill this rainforest issue for
     4        once and for all, and this would enhance the Company's
     5        image on an international scale (and give the
     6        anti-McDonald's groups one less criticism to fire at us)"
     7
     8   MS. STEEL: The second paragraph on that page, that you would
     9        like to meet someone from the Corporation to assess whether
    10        McDonald's would be willing to introduce a policy of buying
    11        only US beef if the beef was stamped with the country of
    12        origin, does that accurately reflect something that you
    13        raised at the meeting?
    14        A.  Yes, it does and it is referred to in my statement
    15        under paragraph 4.4.
    16
    17   Q.   And to her response as well, and to the response from
    18        Annette Allen at the meeting?
    19        A.  I am sorry, do you mean her subsequent letter to me or?
    20
    Q.   No. Does this paragraph accurately reflect the discussion
    22        you had at the meeting where you made a suggestion and she
    23        responded to it?
    24        A.  Yes, it does.
    25
    26   Q.   Right.
    27        A.  I had a trip planned to the United States and I was
    28        hoping to take advantage of that to further this initiative
    29        and to carry on discussions with representatives of
    30        McDonald's in America.
    31
    32   Q.   The suggestion about jointly "between Friends of the Earth
    33        and McDonald's taking this up with the USDA", did that ever
    34        come to anything?
    35        A.  No, it did not.
    36
    37   Q.   Was that because Friends of the Earth lost interest or was
    38        that for some other reason?
    39        A.  No, it was because McDonald's very quickly lost
    40        interest I think as evidenced by Annette Allen's letter to
         me dated 20th November 1985.
    42
    43   Q.   That is in tab 7 in the same bundle.
    44        A.  Which, as I point out in my reply to that letter, my
    45        letter dated 5th December 1985,.
    46
    47   Q.   That is in tab 8 of the same bundle.
    48        A.  That there was clearly and very quickly a marked change
    49        of attitude and approach and tone by McDonald's through
    50        Annette Allen about the arguments we were making as to how 
    51        the meat trade operated in the United States and what we 
    52        saw as a very positive and initiative to try and work 
    53        together with the Corporation to the mutual benefit of the
    54        environmental organisations and interests and the Company
    55        and the trade itself and that, I can only say, was very
    56        quickly squashed, stomped upon.
    57
    58   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  We really have to think about where we are
    59        going.  I can see the possible relevance of whether any
    60        beef from Central America has ever ended up in McDonald's