Day 061 - 05 Dec 94 - Page 57


     
     1        may not wish to know.
     2
     3   Q.   You want people to think chickens being reared in battery
     4        cages is nothing to do with McDonald's at all?
     5        A.  I am sorry, if you think this Fact book was put out to
     6        deceive people you are entirely wrong.  It was put out to
     7        give people information.
     8
     9   Q.   Why have you not said anything about eggs you use?
    10        A.  Well, we have not said anything about many things. You
    11        put everything into it. The whole book would be suppliers
    12        and purchasing.  There was no intention to deceive people.
    13
    14   Q.   What is an egg McMuffin?
    15        A.  What is it?
    16
    17   Q.   Yes.
    18        A.  It can be a number of things.  It can be a sausage and
    19        egg McMuffin; it can be a bacon and egg McMuffin.
    20
    21   Q.   It is a McDonald's product, is it not?
    22        A.  The whole thing is a McDonald's product; not the egg
    23        specifically; not the bacon specifically.
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It says "Chickens used for McDonald's
    26        products are not reared in cages", and I would have thought
    27        "reared" meant grown.  So it may well be that that is
    28        strictly right.  Even the egg layers are not reared in
    29        cages.  Your point is that they have mentioned the rearing
    30        birds because they are not kept in cages and they have left
    31        out the egg layers which are.
    32
    33   MS. STEEL:  My point is they are trying to mislead people into
    34        thinking that no chickens are in cages as a result of what
    35        the company does or what the company makes use of.
    36        A.  I honestly do not think it would make any difference if
    37        we put that in there, because 85 per cent of the egg layers
    38        in this country are from caged birds.
    39
    40   Q.   A lot of people consider battery chickens to be cruel?
    41        A.  Well, 15 per cent of the eggs produced are not from
    42        caged birds, so it is a minority of people.
    43
    44   Q.   There may be more that are concerned about it as well, but
    45        in any event why bother telling people that the chickens
    46        for your products are not reared in cages if it is not to
    47        try to give the public the impression that you care about
    48        chickens and you would not have them in cages for your
    49        products?
    50        A.  Well, I know you are never going to accept this, but 
    51        that was not the intention.  The intention when we talk 
    52        about McDonald's products is that we are talking about 
    53        chicken sandwiches and we are talking about chicken
    54        McNuggetts.
    55
    56   MR. MORRIS:  It is our impression that the word "rearing" in
    57        animal husbandry applies to the whole life of the animal.
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I do not think it matters because your point
    60        is, and I will consider Mr. Oakley's answer, but it does

Prev Next Index