Day 278 - 11 Jul 96 - Page 06
1 table of companies with cattle ranching interests in
2 tropical Latin America, and McDonald's is on that chart.
3 So I remember reading that at the time.
4
5 Q. Yes, but look at what it says, please. There is nothing
6 about cattle ranching does it?
7 A. It says "companies with cattle ranching interests in
8 tropical Latin America".
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Where are you looking now?
11 A. At the top of the chart on page 62 which goes over on
12 to page 63.
13
14 MR. RAMPTON: But look at the entry against McDonald's, Miss
15 Steel?
16 A. The entry may say "hamburger franchises", but the point
17 is the title of the chart is "Companies with cattle
18 ranching interests in tropical Latin America", so if
19 somebody writes a book saying that McDonald's have cattle
20 ranching interests in tropical Latin America who am I to
21 start questioning it?
22
23 Q. Miss Steel, it does not say that. Where a company has got
24 a ranching interest; the chart says so, does it not?
25 A. Well, what is the point in putting them in a chart
26 about companies with cattle ranching interests in tropical
27 Latin America if they don't have any interests in it?
28
29 Q. Very well. Do you want to look at pages 94 and 895?
30 A. I don't mind going on to pages 94 and 95, but I just
31 found that page which is the one that I remembered
32 (pause). Yes.
33
34 Q. As I put to you earlier, that effectively exonerates
35 McDonald's from importing Central American beef into the
36 United States does it not?
37 A. Well, I do not think it does. It obviously clearly
38 says that McDonald's are denying any involvement but it has
39 got about, "US scientists who worked extensively in the
40 tropical forest areas of middle America have reported that
41 in November 1979 the production engineer of Industria De
42 Ganadios, Squatemalsacol SA, a beef packing plant in
43 Estrogaga, Guatemala told him that the company sold
44 directly to the beef processor who supplies McDonald's
45 outlets."
46
47 Then it has got, "In July 1982, 'Natura', a West
48 German magazine published an article about the destruction
49 of middle America's tropical forests. In the story
50 McDonald's was linked to the 'ethological catastrophe'
51 because the story alleged they used beef from the region.
52 In response McDonald's took legal action against the
53 magazine and 'Natura' printed a 'correction' stating that
54 McDonald's used only beef from 'cattle grazed in North
55 America'. Still sceptical, the magazine has stated that it
56 plans to proceed with legal action against McDonald's on
57 the grounds that 'it is a criminal act under German press
58 law to force a publication to print a disclaimer based on
59 lies'.
60
