Day 125 - 12 May 95 - Page 41
1 back to the 50s. I was not around during the 50s but that
2 might have been the case during the 50s as well.
3
4 Q. So these are the people that supply you with patties,
5 specifically?
6 A. Yes.
7
8 Q. In terms of further back in the chain, the abattoirs, do
9 you find that the control over them is now much greater
10 than it was when you had 175 suppliers?
11 A. Quality assurance is more easily conducted. There is
12 greater assurance of the end product today than there was
13 back then.
14
15 Q. When it says: "By the mid-1980 McDonald's had converted its
16 distribution system into the market of food processing
17 business. It reduced its beef suppliers from 175 to just
18 five" could you set an actual date when you finally had
19 your five present suppliers, when that process was
20 complete?
21 A. No, I would not know the exact date. The ownership in
22 one or two instances has changed. One of the five plants
23 in America is now minority-run, is run by and a minority.
24
25 Q. But in terms of establishing the five suppliers and
26 completing that process, could you say whether it was 1985,
27 1986?
28 A. I would not, I do not know the exact date.
29
30 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I think you are being asked more about
31 numbers than the status of the five.
32
33 MR. MORRIS: Yes.
34
35 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I think Mr. Morris wants to know if you can
36 help as to when you finally got down to the five suppliers,
37 trimming all the time over two or three years, quite
38 rapidly, you said; when did you get down to the five?
39
40 MR. MORRIS: When was that completed, that process, about?
41 A. I do not recall, Mr. Morris. I cannot tell you when,
42 an exact date, but that could be provided, when it was
43 complete.
44
45 Q. I am just trying to clarify, when you got down to five
46 suppliers they would be five patty suppliers, yes? Five
47 production plants of patties?
48 A. To my knowledge I think there are more than five
49 plants. There are five suppliers, although some of those
50 suppliers supply other things other than meat patties.
51
52 Q. But, in terms of your beef supplies, your patty supplies,
53 at some stage it was got down to five companies that
54 supplied patties; is that correct?
55 A. That is correct. To the best of my knowledge it is
56 still five.
57
58 Q. Do you remember what the five main suppliers were in, say,
59 the late 80s? What were those five suppliers? What ones
60 are we talking about? Who owns these production plants?
