Day 205 - 17 Jan 96 - Page 48
1 MR. JUSTICE BELL: The point is, I gave a ruling on 25th July
2 and I allowed the Defendants to amend by insertion of a
3 paragraph C. I did not allow the amendment in the form for
4 which the Defendants argued. I cut certain bits of it out
5 and put in two areas. I restricted the areas, and
6 I restricted it to knock-on effect. I did not allow the
7 words which spoke of actually grazing on rainforest or
8 ex-rainforest land. My recollection is that after I had
9 given that ruling, it was accepted that there should be
10 added also a reference to "McDonald's or their suppliers in
11 Argentina and Switzerland". Probably, that happened in the
12 last week in September, when there was some argument.
13
14 MR. MORRIS: It was in the same application as the employment
15 child violations and hygiene.
16
17 MR. RAMPTON: It is very straightforward. I am sorry, I did
18 not pick it up quickly enough. All that your Lordship
19 needs to do, anybody needs to do -- and we will get it word
20 processed in due course -- is to add to what is there after
21 the words "McDonald's UK", the words "and to McDonald's or
22 their suppliers in Argentina and Switzerland". It does not
23 change the substance of it at all.
24
25 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It does not. That is a small point. What
26 I do not think I have added to employment practices are the
27 seven, eight or nine additional matters, but I may be wrong
28 about this.
29
30 MR. RAMPTON: No, they have not, my Lord.
31
32 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I would be grateful for that. But I suggest
33 that they await Mr. Morris's application in relation to a
34 further amendment based on what Mr. Stein is said to have
35 said to the Congressional Committee. When I have dealt
36 with that, I would be grateful if I could have a
37 re-wordprocessed or additional page to add at the end of
38 divider 7. That is all.
39
40 MR. RAMPTON: Very well.
41
42 MS. STEEL: We do not appear to have the updated rainforest
43 pleadings, and I think it would be helpful if everybody did
44 have the same pleadings. I mean, Mr. Rampton said add two
45 words by hand, but we do not have even the version that did
46 have parts added. So it would be helpful if we had that.
47
48 Also, I did ask about whether the Plaintiffs could give us
49 a disk of the pleadings, and they did not answer, and it
50 might be helpful if they could provide us with that; and if
51 they are worried about the cost, we can give them the cost
52 of the disk.
53
54 MR. JUSTICE BELL: The other and final matter on this topic is
55 that on 25th July I gave leave not only to amend in the
56 Brazilian respect, but to add a further amendment in these
57 terms; and it appears on page 13 of the unperfected
58 judgment: "Further, McDonald's have had no or no coherent
59 or consistent policy on the use of beef from ex-rainforest
60 regions."
