Day 284 - 22 Oct 96 - Page 12
1 of the rainforest, responsibility for destruction of the
2 rainforest, substituting for that responsibility for
3 starvation in the third world? It is not a trap
4 question. It seems to me I probably can, but I want to
5 know if that is what you would say.
6
7 MR. MORRIS: I think in general, yes, we are talking about a
8 system here in the second page, the economics page, clearly
9 talks about the effects of international trade and US
10 corporations role in that and the effect that has on
11 keeping people in the third world poor and hungry. I do
12 not see US corporations using their power to send food to
13 the third world. They use it to take. But, yes.
14
15 And in the second, on page 3, the rainforest section,
16 although there is soya mentioned on the second page, but
17 page 3, then it would be a similar case, yes, in terms of
18 the hamburger industry in particular and those producing
19 pet food and fast food packaging material as well, which
20 does not apply to McDonald's.
21
22 So these allegations, including the ecological catastrophe,
23 clearly bear the meaning that the burger and fast food
24 industry as a whole is morally responsible for the effects
25 of that industry because the appetite of such an industry
26 for raw materials at costs which would enable high profits
27 to be made leads to such environmental damage as described
28 in the leaflets, and by promoting and contributing to that
29 demand McDonald's is contributing to the resulting damage.
30 In fact, as regarding the hamburger industry, McDonald's
31 are by far and away the largest contributor to the damage,
32 the environmental damage, caused by the increasing demand
33 for hamburgers globally and in particular in the USA.
34 (Pause). Just sticking with page 1 - sorry, page 2.
35
36 MR JUSTICE BELL: I think it is easier for me if you call one
37 the economic, the imperialism page, and the other the
38 rainforest page. I know it deals with nutrition as well.
39
40 MR. MORRIS: OK. The economics page. The economics page
41 clearly sets out the relationship between social and
42 environmental problems and the cause of them, if you like,
43 is an economic connection. The causality operates through
44 economics, and the process of demand and supply is the key
45 to the economics, I suppose. The demand is created often
46 through, for example, huge advertising campaigns promoting
47 beef products, and McDonald's advertising budget, of
48 course, dwarfs the rest of the fast food industry put
49 together. I think we have heard in this country they are
50 responsible for 75 percent of all fast food advertising. I
51 am sure we have not heard any evidence to the contrary that
52 that is the same, that will be a similar position,
53 elsewhere. But certainly if there is one organisation in
54 the world that can be identified for creating a demand for
55 hamburgers worldwide, then McDonald's would be by far and
56 away the number one.
57
58 Obviously, there is a chain between demand and supply and
59 we would say that -- let me have a look. (Pause) I mean,
60 the economics page deals with some of the complexities of
