Day 285 - 23 Oct 96 - Page 12

     
     1        have heard that -- I think it was Arthur O Wolf who said
     2        in the early 1980s that five sevenths of all production
     3        was exported.  That was day 227, page 11.
     4
     5   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Day 227?
     6
     7   MR. MORRIS:   Page 11.  Incidentally, Co-op Montecillos was
     8        I think -- this is from memory now -- either the largest
     9        or equivalent to either one or two other companies in the
    10        export table in Costa Rica.  But that is another point.
    11        Can I just say in case I don't forget?  I have got a
    12        little note here, McDonald's specification on imported
    13        beef was, as far as we can see from the evidence, never
    14        defined until the letter was sent out to raw material
    15        suppliers in 1989.  I do not think there is any evidence
    16        that the raw material suppliers ever made any written
    17        guarantees before that.
    18
    19        I am going to come to this later, anyway, about what
    20        Robert Beavers said about the impossibility of policing
         the supply chain before the mid-1980s -- '83, '84, '85,
    22        whatever -- when they reduced burger manufacturing plants
    23        down to about five companies, and - I do not know, because
    24        when we were questioning him we did not mention that we
    25        were doing that for the purpose of getting information
    26        regarding the no imports policy, claimed policy, he
    27        thought we were talking about quality matters, but that
    28        was just a front for getting information that we would not
    29        probably have otherwise got.  So I have got somewhere...
    30
    31   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I may be wrong, but I do not think he gave
    32        us a reason, as a reason for that reduction, that it would
    33        enable them to verify the source of their supplies for
    34        other commercial reasons.
    35
    36   MR. MORRIS:   That is right.  We would say that the same
    37        considerations apply.  If we had asked him directly he
    38        would no doubt have given us different answers.
    39
    40   MR JUSTICE BELL:  Well, why should I assume that?  If he was
         wanting to falsely protect McDonald's he would probably
    42        have advanced the answer that you say would have been
    43        suspicious.  Instead of that he made no bones about what
    44        the real reason was.  Are you prepared to accept that
    45        there is any decent person employed in McDonald's at all
    46        other than an hourly paid crew member?   Do not bother to
    47        answer that.  It is just that sometimes suspicion can be
    48        so widespread one stops listening.  I have to form my view
    49        on whether Mr. Beavers is an essentially decent chap,
    50        whether he is misguided or not.
    51
    52   MR. MORRIS:   If someone is working for a company in a position 
    53        of responsibility they have a loyalty to that company.  In
    54        fact, Mr. Rampton stated in this courtroom that somebody
    55        who came to this courtroom to testify against McDonald's,
    56        if they were employed by McDonald's they would be expected
    57        to be loyal to the company.
    58
    59   MR JUSTICE BELL:  It may be, but I have still got to ask myself
    60        - I am not, I tell you this now, going to assume that