Day 240 - 24 Apr 96 - Page 21
1 Q. When you had your meeting with McDonald's and discussion
2 over the beef emanating from tropical forest country, did
3 they mention the fact that they had just imported into the
4 UK 5 consignments of Brazilian beef?
5 A. No, they did not.
6
7 MS. STEEL: I was trying to find the other letters. Was that
8 one of the ones that was to your supporters or not, the one
9 you have been referring to?
10 A. No, the letter to Mr. Wright is on 11th December 1986.
11
12 Q. I will try and find that
13
14 MR. RAMPTON: That is tab 10.
15
16 MS. STEEL: Thank you. Was there something that you wanted to
17 say about that one, or did you just want to make the
18 comment that it was from the supporter?
19 A. That it was from the supporter and that it does state
20 categorically that nowhere in the entire world does
21 McDonald's use of beef threaten or remotely involve
22 tropical rainforests.
23
24 MR. MORRIS: That letter looks to refer to meticulous steps
25 being taken to make sure "our supplies do not solicit any
26 beef imported etcetera originally controlled
27 specifications". Were you shown or given details of this
28 during your discussions or sent any documents that would
29 back that up at the time of your meeting with McDonald's?
30 A. Neither during the meeting that I had nor subsequently
31 were we ever shown any evidence or any evidence that
32 McDonald's could guarantee that the beef they used from
33 their suppliers did not come from lands that had formerly
34 had tropical forests on them or from tropical forest
35 countries, and the heart, the central point of our
36 discussion and correspondence was over the nature of the
37 retail trade, how it operated, and how the USDA
38 certification system worked and our contention very much is
39 that the way that it worked did not allow retailers or
40 other people or companies in the supply chain to be certain
41 of the country of origin of the beef used in the retail
42 trade.
43
44 Q. Right.
45
46 MS. STEEL: There is another letter, is there, I think you said
47 from your supporters?
48 A. Yes. These are representative letters. There is
49 another letter dated 7th May, 1986.
50
51 Q. Who is that one to?
52 A. To Ms. C Broadhead.
53
54 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I do not think we need to turn them up. I do
55 not think there is any doubt about what McDonald's was
56 asserting at the time and wherever the burden of proof
57 lies, it is relevant for me on the balance of probabilities
58 to make a decision on whether they were using such beef.
59
60 MS. STEEL: Was there anything new in that letter that we have
