Day 096 - 03 Mar 95 - Page 29
1 A. Yes.
2
3 Q. The reason you do not do that is for commercial, economic
4 reasons?
5
6 MR. JUSTICE BELL: We are back to what you were asking about
7 before.
8 A. No, because that is one thing you must understand, that
9 to produce them on our outdoor units is far more expensive
10 than in our indoor units.
11
12 MS. STEEL: That is what I was saying. If the customers will
13 not pay for them, then you do not take that up?
14 A. It is not a question of customers. That is a question
15 basically of the consumer, will they pay for it?
16
17 Q. McDonald's have not offered to pay you more for pigs that
18 were bred outside?
19 A. I do not have direct links with McDonald's.
20
21 Q. McKey's?
22 A. We are in discussions.
23
24 Q. But they have not asked you do that up until now?
25 A. There is a problem. There is a limitation of
26 suppliers.
27
28 Q. But I did ask, they have not asked you up until now, have
29 they?
30 A. Freedom Foods were first launched on, I think, July 7th
31 last year and very quickly I can show you that McKey Foods
32 were asking us in great depth about it. We were only
33 starting in a very small way then.
34
35 Q. So why did you give preference to Tesco's, say, rather than
36 McKey's?
37 A. Because they buy two completely different types of
38 meat.
39
40 Q. Were they willing to pay a higher price?
41 A. You know, the value of the meat that the retailer buys
42 and what the manufacturer buys are two completely different
43 items.
44
45 Q. What the retailer buys is more expensive?
46 A. Yes.
47
48 Q. You have had free range pigs. You have had them for a
49 number of years, have you not?
50 A. Yes.
51
52 Q. McDonald's have not asked you about them, asked you for
53 them to be supplied?
54 A. Again there is the problem of limitation of supply and
55 has been for a number of years.
56
57 Q. But have they actually asked you?
58 A. We have discussed it in the past.
59
60 Q. Then it was not taken up?
