Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 47
1 depleted and it is replaced with C02, so the animal does
2 not have the oxygen that is needed, so basically at first
3 it falls asleep and then becomes unconscious.
4
5 Q. Is it a gradual process?
6 A. Yes, it is.
7
8 Q. Then the next one (which is X, Y, Z on mine) is China?
9 A. China.
10
11 Q. How many McDonald's restaurants are there in China?
12 A. The last time, I think, there were four. We have a
13 very aggressive plan so we might have some more now.
14
15 Q. Like everybody else?
16 A. Yes.
17
18 Q. One sees, though, that the beef in China as in Russia and,
19 I think, Hungary (though you say that has changed or may
20 have changed) the stunning is done electrically; do you see
21 that?
22 A. Yes, I do.
23
24 Q. Do you have plans to deal with that or not?
25 A. Yes, we have. China is a special case, if you want to
26 put it that way. We have to invest a lot of resources. We
27 have to invite requests, if you will, a supplier, a major
28 supplier of us in the international markets, the company is
29 called OSI. We had asked them to come to China and help us
30 develop the industry. So, some of the things that you see
31 here, this goes back to 1993 and might not be the case
32 today. We have made some tremendous improvements in the
33 areas of management, the areas of food safety, the areas of
34 quality and in the areas of welfare of our animals. But I
35 would say, I am not sure they do electrical stunning today.
36
37 Q. Have you actually been to China?
38 A. I have been around China and close to the -- I have not
39 been in mainland China but I have been around.
40
41 Q. Do you know anything of the attitudes of the Chinese people
42 towards questions of animal welfare?
43 A. Yes, I do. I have worked with them and I have worked
44 and had conversations and discussions and updates where
45 among people in regards to animal welfare. I think it is
46 generally recognised by the international community that
47 they fall behind when it comes to welfare of animals and
48 treatment of animals.
49
50 Q. Then we turn Y, to Hong Kong, I think; is that right?
51 A. Yes.
52
53 Q. And we see they get their raw material from China and
54 Australia. We see that the stunning practice is the same
55 as it was on one of the Malaysian documents, "spinal cord
56 severed with knife behind atlas bone", but that they do not
57 practice Halal. Do you know why they use that method of
58 stunning or killing, if that is what it is?
59 A. Yes, in Hong Kong, we get products and because it is a
60 freeport we have the advantage and resources and we have
