Day 241 - 26 Apr 96 - Page 42
1 supplies meat to the USA.
2
3 Question: We are here in one of the largest meat factories
4 and meat processing factories in Costa Rica. Can you tell
5 us something about the significance of the meat factor
6 [(?)] for your country's export?
7
8 Answer: Yes, meat is one of the country's most important
9 agricultural products. Costa Rica has been exporting
10 [meat] for 20 years. We export to the United States - it
11 is the largest country [to which we export], and we sell
12 the meat with the help of a middleman who works for us in
13 the USA on a commission basis."
14
15 Shall I miss that last question out on that page?
16
17 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, it does not help us.
18
19 MR. MORRIS: It does not help us. It is just that it does give
20 it authenticity in terms of the interview. So he asks the
21 question again:
22
23 "Answer: Sergio Quintana: Yes. Meat is our country's
24 third most important agricultural product. We have been
25 exporting meat for twenty years. We export 95 per cent of
26 the meat we produce to the United States. Last year that
27 amounted to approximately 15,000 tonnes. We sell the meat
28 on a commission basis to a middleman. 70 per cent of this
29 meat is sold as 'industrial meat' to the fast-food chains
30 such as McDonald's, Burger King and others. The rest the
31 meat is sold either fresh or frozen as steak (special
32 cut).
33
34 Question: Do you really supply the fast-food chains? Are
35 you sure that the meat which you sell to the middleman is
36 earmarked for this purpose?
37
38 Answer: Yes. Because the type of meat we produce must
39 comply with all the technical requirements which are laid
40 down in the United States. For example, we only buy meat
41 which must be at least 80 or 90 per cent lean according to
42 the type of product it will be used for.
43
44 Question: Which fast-food chains do you supply - which
45 ones?
46
47 Answer: We supply McDonald's and Burger King - and also
48 Wendy's. They buy our meat.
49
50 Question: Here in the Montecillos cooperative, you do not
51 only slaughter animals, you also process them into
52 hamburgers. Can you tell us something about that
53 business?
54
55 Answer: Yes. Here in the Montecillos cooperative we do
56 not just produce for the export market. We also produce
57 for our internal market. It is true that we slaughter
58 approximately 70 per cent of the cattle for our internal
59 market. We also process the meat into different cuts of
60 beef and into sausages. We started producing in this area
