Day 268 - 24 Jun 96 - Page 20

     
     1        changed in Latin America through the years:   For example I
     2        remember that in 1987 Burger King had stated and promised
     3        not to import any more meat from Costa Rica to the US
     4        market.
     5
     6        Concerning your particulars:
     7
     8        A) We never published any statements around Guatemala
     9        beef."
    10
    11   MS. STEEL:  Can we just explain about this.  This was because we
    12        sent him a copy of our particulars and he got confused and
    13        thought that we were relying on him for the source of all
    14        our information in the pleadings.  So that is what that is
    15        about.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
    18
    19   MR. MORRIS:  "We never published any statements around Guatemala
    20        beef.  So somebody must have mixed up something while
         questioning me....  You have to find the responsible....
    22
    23        B) We were not in contact with the Costa Rica ganaderos or
    24        meat industry in 1986."
    25
    26        Again this relates to the pleadings of 1986.
    27
    28        "We had researched in 1983 and we filmed statements in 1984
    29        in Costa Rica.  Several persons convinced us that the meat
    30        from Costa Rica reaches the US meat plants supplying the
    31        McDonald's franchisees in the US.
    32
    33        The cattle farmers Hugo Ribera and Carlos Urcuyo Barios for
    34        example are both owners of forests and herds.  They sell to
    35        Coop Montecillos or as well directly (C. Urcuyo) through
    36        packers to Florida.  They stated the meat is there to be
    37        used for Burger King and McDonalds.  We had filed M. Ribera
    38        while deforesting his farming areas and he explained to us
    39        for what reasons he has to expand the export of meat.  Dr.
    40        Rudolfo Quiros Guardia, Gerente General of Coop Montecillos
         R.L. and Sergio Quintana, Director..." - well, it is
    42        marketing director or sales director - "Director de
    43        mercadeo from the same place stated infront of our camera
    44        that they are selling meat to the US meat plants supplying
    45        McDonald's USA.  Alberto Jose Amador Zamora, president of
    46        Federation de camaras de ganaderos de Costa Rica confirmed
    47        that quite reasonable amounts of Costa Rican beef had been
    48        sold to McDonald's suppliers in the US market in 1982-1984.
    49          Donald Munroe, gerente general of GISA, explained to us
    50        while McDonald's USA is not willing to inform about its
    51        imports from Costa Rica.  Dr. E.A. Brandt, from the
    52        promotion department of the ministry of agriculture in San
    53        Jose confirmed in front of our tape and camera in 1984,
    54        that McDonald's USA and Burger King USA are both buying
    55        through middlemen for their contract" -- is that contracts
    56         -- I cannot actually read that -- I think it is "their
    57        contracts firms beef for fast-food on one hand, while on
    58        the other hand the suppliers in Costa Rica  (ganaderos) are
    59        still deforesting to expand their business while their
    60        income decreases permanently.