Day 094 - 01 Mar 95 - Page 24


     
     1   MS. STEEL:  So there is a separate slaughter line for McDonald's
     2        chickens as well?
     3        A.  No, no, it is the same line except at the end the
     4        products are divided, this is for us, and this is for
     5        Tysons' customers.
     6
     7   Q.   What, they go through at different times of the day or
     8        different days of week?
     9        A.  No, it is the same line except that we use different,
    10        for instance, the drum, the part of the drum, the leg, we
    11        would not use that, so they take it and put it in
    12        containers and they go on a different pathway.  They go and
    13        sell those in the open market.
    14
    15   Q.   So at the point when the chickens are being slaughtered the
    16        company does not distinguish between, "These chickens are
    17        McDonald's and these are some other company's"?
    18        A.  That is correct.
    19
    20   Q.   It is only at the deboning stage when you start pulling the
    21        chicken apart that you start saying:   "This bit is for
    22        McDonald's; this bit is for some other company"?
    23        A.  That is correct.
    24
    25   MR. MORRIS:  While we are on the subject of chickens, before we
    26        move on, you said, I think, you would try to check what the
    27        total number of birds, do you remember, I do not know if
    28        you had a chance do that?
    29        A.  Yes.
    30
    31   Q.   You were not sure whether you take a pound or a
    32        pound-and-a-half off?
    33        A.  If you look for the numbers I have in my briefcase.
    34        I am sorry.  I left it on my -- I have the numbers here but
    35        I summarised the numbers and I was expecting that question
    36        yesterday and I left them on my suit, but I give you the
    37        facts.  From a 6.5 pound bird we use 26 per cent for
    38        boneless meat to McDonald's, that is, 1.7 pounds of meat.
    39        In 1994 -----
    40
    41   MS. STEEL:  Can you go a bit slower?
    42        A.  From 1994 we used 182,819,000 pounds of total meat.
    43
    44   MR. MORRIS:  Chicken meat?
    45        A.  Yes, so if you want to round it up, 183 million, that
    46        would be approximate.  The Tyson plant produce about 40
    47        million pounds -- I am sorry, 40 million birds in 1994, the
    48        Equity plant produced about 80 million birds for a total
    49        120 million chickens that were produced in those
    50        operations.  In 1993 the broiler industry produced about 
    51        6.7 billion broilers, birds, chickens. 
    52 
    53   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just pause a moment.  Broiler industry where,
    54        in the States?
    55        A.  In the States.  From the production in 1994, which the
    56        available is not yet ready, but it is estimated that it
    57        increased three per cent, but not taking that into
    58        consideration, the percentage of birds that we use was
    59        1. -- I have to do it again, I am sorry -- 1.7 or 1.8.
    60        That is what I record.

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