Day 058 - 30 Nov 94 - Page 21


     
     1        justification which Ms. Steel, I remember, particularly,
     2        arguing that since it referred to forest, the word used was
     3        "forest" not "rainforests", the 800 square miles should be
     4        taken to refer to forests generally and not be restricted
     5        to rainforests.
     6
     7        Are you actually suggesting that more plantation forest has
     8        had to be provided because of McDonald's?
     9
    10   MR. MORRIS:  Because of McDonald's and the industry that they
    11        are part of, yes, and the plantation forests have an effect
    12        on the environment and ecosystems that would exist in
    13        natural forests and, in fact, species of flora and fauna
    14        are being destroyed, dying out, and other implications of
    15        plantation forests are important as well; they have an
    16        effect on the environment, the use of pesticides, erosion.
    17
    18   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I know you say that the leaflet is an attack
    19        on large corporations generally, but I am particularly
    20        concerned with where McDonald's complain that it is an
    21        attack on them.  I really think you can take these points
    22        really quite quickly.  I am not saying that you have not
    23        moved on through them this morning, but I think you really
    24        can take them quite quickly, because we have to see to what
    25        extent, if at all, McDonald's can be held responsible for
    26        plantations of softwood trees or any other abuse of forest
    27        apart from rainforests, and then somewhere near the tail of
    28        the dog we come to, you know, these various adverse matters
    29        and you have your witnesses' evidence in relation to that.
    30
    31   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  I think that it comes down to, as probably
    32        Mr. Rampton might say, it matters not that McDonald's use,
    33        whether it is 200 miles of forest or square miles of
    34        forest, or what, if everything in the garden is rosy and
    35        those forests are all managed terrifically and help to
    36        encourage the environment to flower.  Obviously, our
    37        contention is that is not the case whatsoever.  The effect
    38        of not just plantations but the felling also of natural
    39        forests which happens in, for example, America is damaging
    40        to the environment, broadly.  We are trying to identify
    41        from Mr. Mallinson who has defended the forestry industry's
    42        practices, we are trying to see what the practices are,
    43        have they changed, when did they change and that kind of
    44        thing.
    45
    46   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, I thought that must be the way you were
    47        putting it.  What I suggest is that you can come to a
    48        particular head and just put the impact of what you say
    49        your case is on these matters in one or two questions, then
    50        we can probably move on.  Yet again it is, obviously, an 
    51        area where people have very different views about the 
    52        rights and wrongs of things.  What I am most concerned is, 
    53        given the very differing views there obviously are on this,
    54        even if your view is the better one, to what extent are
    55        McDonald's responsible?
    56
    57   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, might I say something at this stage?
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, do, please.
    60

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