Day 052 - 21 Nov 94 - Page 19
1 slaughter, day by day, of animals born and bred solely to
2 be turned into McDonald's products". At least two mentions
3 of McDonald's there, of course. "Some of them - especially
4 chickens and pigs - spend their lives in the entirely
5 artificial conditions of huge factory farms, with no access
6 to air or sunshine and no freedom of movement. Their
7 deaths are bloody and barbaric.
8
9 Murdering a Big Mac. In the slaughterhouse, animals often
10 struggle to escape. Cattle become frantic as they watch
11 the animal before them in the killing-line being prodded,
12 beaten, electrocuted, and knifed.
13
14 A recent British government report criticised inefficient
15 stunning methods which frequently result in animals having
16 their throats cut while still fully conscious. McDonald's
17 are responsible for the deaths of countless animals by this
18 supposedly humane method."
19
20 My Lord, there cannot be any argument, we would submit,
21 about application of those allegations to the animals which
22 are killed to provide McDonald's products. That being so
23 we what we invite your Lordship to allow us to do is to
24 focus our complaint on those areas within that passage
25 I have just read which are constituted by statements of
26 fact.
27
28 Your Lordship will recall that in opening this case I said
29 (and I have said it since) that the question of whether or
30 not the keeping and slaughter of animals for food is a good
31 or bad thing, and whether it may properly be described as
32 murder by somebody who holds strong views about the
33 subject, is a entirely a matter of opinion.
34
35 I do not include in that the expression "McTorture" for
36 this reason, that the word "torture" may be thought by your
37 Lordship at the end of all this to carry an implication
38 (which is an implication of fact) about the state of mind
39 of the person who does the acts which are said to be bloody
40 and barbaric and inhumane.
41
42 It is for that reason, my Lord, that the proposed amendment
43 to 4L contains the words to the effect that McDonald's are
44 utterly indifferent to the welfare of the animals which are
45 used to produce their food. That being an assertion of
46 fact, if we are right, about McDonald's state of mind in
47 relation to animals.
48
49 My Lord, I do not believe I need say anything about the
50 leaflet. It may be that I will not have anything much more
51 to say about what I call the "animals" paragraph. I do,
52 however, wish, if I may, to expand on the submission which
53 I take to be the important submission on this application,
54 that the amendment to neither paragraph but, in particular,
55 paragraph 4F will cause the Defendants any injustice or
56 prejudice.
57
58 I add to that by saying this, that on the materials before
59 your Lordship, it would be our submission that the
60 Defendants' assertion they are prejudiced by these proposed
