Day 068 - 16 Dec 94 - Page 30
1 not know that I have heard more than about two questions
2 directed to any issue in this case. For example, the
3 evidence of Mr. Gomez Gonzales has been that McDonald's in
4 the United States does not use any beef imported from any
5 area outside the continental boundaries of the USA, that
6 they take meat from slaughterhouses within the USA. If
7 that assertion be challenged, then it must be put to
8 Dr. Gomez Gonzales by Mr. Morris that it is wrong and the
9 reasons why it is wrong. That is the proper way to conduct
10 cross-examination.
11
12 MR. MORRIS: I beg to differ. It is up to me whether I put
13 certain questions.
14
15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No.
16
17 MR. MORRIS: I do not tell Mr. Rampton -----
18
19 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That is where you are wrong. At the end of
20 the day, it is up to me. We have had a discussion like
21 this before. You may wish the truth to come out -- I do
22 not doubt that -- but you have to focus on getting your
23 case out to me.
24
25 MR. MORRIS: I believe in my case very strongly, but I am trying
26 to explore the truth, because I believe the truth will
27 -----
28
29 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Direct yourself to the matters which you are
30 hoping at the end of the day to establish.
31
32 MR. MORRIS (To the witness): To sum up: in Costa Rica, have
33 McDonald's used beef reared on recently deforested
34 rainforest areas, in your opinion?
35 A. No, they have not.
36
37 Q. They have not. How would you define "recent"?
38 A. Recently deforested?
39
40 Q. Yes.
41 A. That is a term that we have used; and Ray Cesca, as
42 I said before, is the one who gives me the direction as to
43 whether or not we should use that particular supplier or
44 area.
45
46 Q. Yes.
47 A. He can give you a better definition, because it is an
48 internal McDonald's definition. As far as I can remember,
49 I can understand the question is as far as we have been
50 there, at least. If we open Costa Rica, we open Costa
51 Rica, the first restaurant, 20 years ago, that would be a
52 measure as to whether it is recent or not recent. The
53 intent, when we mention that, is so we do not want to have
54 an effect on the rainforests. So that is why we said
55 recently, by "recently" meaning that we do not directly
56 relate it to deforestation of any rainforest in the world.
57
58 Q. So are you saying that the company has no time-scale
59 definition for the word "recent" when it says: "We will
60 not use beef from recently deforested rainforest land";
