Day 287 - 25 Oct 96 - Page 10


     
     1        cattle or use imported beef.  He does not go into the
     2        statistical inevitability and that kind of stuff argument.
     3
     4        So we will say that that shows that his statement is based
     5        on incorrect information from McDonald's.  Why they would
     6        want to give him incorrect information, is a matter of
     7        speculation and interpretation.
     8
     9        Can I just say that as part of those series of letters from
    10        Guatemala, because we are still on Guatemala, if you
    11        remember one of them had identified what they called the
    12        seven states and the percentages of beef that they supplied
    13        to McDonald's.  This was the letter from Rolando Roblez,
    14        26th July 1989 to Ray Cesca.
    15
    16   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.
    17
    18   MR. MORRIS:   I just wanted to note that there are percentages
    19        for the different areas, supplies to McDonald's for
    20        McDonald's use.  For example, the area which is on the
    21        east, more northerly eastern side of the country would be
    22        covered in those regions of Zacapa, Izabal and Chiquimula
    23        which is identified in that letter, which totalled 20
    24        percent of the supplies.
    25
    26        If I can just make one small note on that, Dr. Gonzales
    27        knew of exports from Guatemala to El Salvador, on day 69,
    28        page 32, although he said that it was small amounts.  There
    29        is obviously no bar on exports from Guatemala because of
    30        concern over rainforests or tropical forests.  And that is
    31        just what he knows himself, so we do not know how much more
    32        there may have been imported.
    33
    34        Just continuing with Guatemala, if I can refer to
    35        Mr. Cesca, on day 221, page 64, he did say that he had only
    36        visited ranches close to Guatemala city, so his knowledge
    37        was, we would say his direct knowledge was, virtually
    38        non-existent.  He did say on day 221, page 66, bottom of
    39        the page, lines 54 to 60, that he did not know what areas
    40        that Mr. Roblez was talking about in his statement that
    41        were deforested in the '40s and '50s.  That was his initial
    42        response to the question.  And he accepts on page 68 of
    43        that day the advice he is relying on, the advice he has
    44        been given and the information he has been given by
    45        Mr. Cofino, for example, the managing director of
    46        McDonald's in Guatemala who had earlier indicated that from
    47        where they get their beef supplies used to be rainforest,
    48        although he said it was a substantial time ago.  Did I give
    49        the line numbers?   That was lines 11 to 21 on page 68.
    50 
    51        On day 224, pages 34 and 35... In fact there is a whole 
    52        block of evidence on Guatemala for the next few pages. 
    53        Again at the bottom of the page he talks about his relying
    54        on information given to him.  That is the bottom of page
    55        34.  And the information that he is relying on about where
    56        the rainforest used to be conveniently misses out the band
    57        of rainforest which existed substantially overlapping where
    58        McDonald's now get their supplies from on the southern
    59        area.
    60

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