Day 080 - 30 Jan 95 - Page 23
1
2 Q. You would not?
3 A. No.
4
5 MR. MORRIS: Just to clarify this point, clenbuterol used to be
6 widespread in Ireland, did it?
7 A. It did not used to be widespread but there were
8 problems on it. There were problems in Ireland.
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Problems in some parts of Ireland, you said?
11 A. Yes, sir.
12
13 MR. MORRIS: Any particular parts of Ireland?
14 A. No, I could not give you an opinion on that.
15
16 Q. So you did not have a specification for your Irish
17 suppliers to not have clenbuterol?
18 A. No, because it was illegal in any case.
19
20 Q. No, before it was banned?
21 A. I cannot remember when it was banned but it probably
22 came out at the time of the beef and veal directive.
23
24 Q. You said about two years ago, something like that?
25 A. No, we stopped testing for it. No, I cannot give you
26 an opinion on when it was banned. I cannot -- I would be
27 guessing.
28
29 Q. Something in the last two years anyway?
30 A. No, it is longer than that. It has been banned for
31 five, six, eight years.
32
33 Q. But up to whenever it was banned, basically, your suppliers
34 from Ireland did not have any specification from McDonald's
35 not to have clenbuterol?
36 A. No, you cannot prejudge, you cannot be clairvoyant
37 about law.
38
39 Q. I understand that. So, some of the cows from Ireland or
40 meat from Ireland that had clenbuterol residues, or
41 whatever, would they have had any -----
42
43 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Sorry, you seem to have taken a leap which
44 has left me behind because we have not got to residues
45 yet. Such tests as there have been, Mr. Walker said, did
46 not reveal it and the MAFF tests all came out negative ---
47 A. Yes.
48
49 Q. -- so far as it was concerned?
50 A. Yes, sir.
51
52 MR. MORRIS: Clenbuterol was not used in this country, was it,
53 you are saying?
54 A. Clenbuterol has been used in this country.
55
56 Q. What I am saying is the clenbuterol that was used in
57 Ireland, is it your opinion that it would not have had an
58 effect on human health in the meat that McDonald's supply
59 -- purchased?
60 A. That is a very involved statement calling for opinion.
