Day 078 - 26 Jan 95 - Page 68


     
     1        to it, you would be happy for them to take the papers away
     2        and copy them or what-have-you?
     3        A.  Absolutely.
     4
     5   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Whatever might be the situation with other
     6        suppliers, if anyone at McDonald's wanted any sheet of
     7        paper or any document belonging to your company, they would
     8        only have to ask, would they?
     9        A.  Yes, my Lord.
    10
    11   MS. STEEL:  That would include records that had come from the
    12        abattoirs and things like that?
    13        A.  Yes, everything.  The relationship between McKey and
    14        McDonald's -- we often have a saying:  "We have got ketchup
    15        in our veins as well", we are so close.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I will ponder overnight what the significance
    18        of that metaphor is; it is not immediately obvious to me, I
    19        must say.
    20
    21   MS. STEEL:   Can you just say what documents come with the meat
    22        from the abattoirs?
    23        A.  We have always insisted on a veterinary certificate and
    24        when I say "we have insisted", legally all we had to have
    25        was a meat certificate signed by an EHO which we discussed
    26        yesterday.  But we have always insisted on a veterinary
    27        certificate, but now it is just changing as we speak now at
    28        the beginning of this year.  There is a new document,
    29        Brussels says, it is called a "commercial document" and, as
    30        long as the vet signs the commercial document, i.e. the
    31        consignment note, that is sufficient.  It is being done
    32        just to cut down the amount of paper that is moving around
    33        Europe.
    34
    35   Q.   Would that have records for individual cows or what?
    36        A.  Would it have records for individual cows -- only on
    37        each toe pin the time of boning is on.  Now, I am not sure
    38        whether I should prethink you, but once you know the time
    39        you can go back to the boning room who have a log which
    40        shows you the tag number of the animals being boned.  You
    41        can go back to the abattoir.  It is called "traceability"
    42        and it is all in now.  Every animal has a number.  You can
    43        go back to the abattoir, you can go back to the live market
    44         -- by law the auctioneer has to keep it -- and you can
    45        trace that animal all the way back to its farm,
    46        traceability.
    47
    48   Q.   That would just be the farm where they were born, where
    49        they were originally tagged, would it not?
    50        A.  No, it would be the whole history.  Every animal now 
    51        has some identification document. 
    52 
    53   Q.   How long has that been the case?
    54        A.  Identification documents came in about halfway through
    55        last year.  The Minister has just enforced the new tag
    56        number which must stay with the animal.  I honestly believe
    57        it started in January this year.
    58
    59   Q.   So was McKey's doing that -- you have just started doing
    60        that when the law has come in or what?

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