Day 078 - 26 Jan 95 - Page 51
1 Brussels is interested in is that the total licences over a
2 10-month period add to up to 60,000 tonnes, pick a figure.
3 They will issue licences up to 60,000 tonnes. Now where it
4 comes from that is entirely a matter of the customer and
5 the agent, i.e. Weddel's, Armers, Swifts, British Beef
6 Company, any major wholesaler. The whole world industry
7 works on connected chains, agents. You might be selling
8 for Australia and that gentleman behind you might be
9 selling for New Zealand, so once you both start talking to
10 me on the telephone it becomes a matter of price, provided
11 you both have a licence to pass meat to me.
12
13 Q. But the Vesty's beef which you have finally had access to
14 after your efforts, had they not been allowed to import
15 into Europe before that?
16 A. Oh yes, they had other balance sheet customers.
17
18 Q. It is just that they had not had McDonald's?
19 A. They worked very closely with us to help us get it,
20 because on routine beef we were buying a lot of beef from
21 them within the United Kingdom.
22
23 Q. So their involvement in the balance sheet beef scheme, as
24 far you know, pre-dated and post-dated your actual use of
25 that beef?
26 A. Sure.
27
28 Q. Earlier on you said the forecast for 86, 87 and 88;
29 I presume you meant 96, 97 and 98?
30 A. Did I say 80?
31
32 Q. It says on the transcript.
33 A. It was the forthcoming year.
34
35 Q. Now that you pioneered, ironically knowing that you have
36 had not had access to itself yourself, the idea that
37 hamburger companies could have access to balance sheet
38 beef. Has the volume of balance sheet beef increased since
39 you stopped -----
40
41 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Where does this go now? Just explain to me
42 where this goes now in relation to this case?
43
44 MR. MORRIS: Because Mr. Walker has recognised that they
45 pioneered access for hamburger companies to balance sheet
46 beef which includes beef from Brazil. I am just seeing
47 (this is like a final question really) whether the volume
48 from Brazil has increased over the years but you do not use
49 it, have you made a conscious decision. So there are two
50 questions: has the volume increased from Brazil since you
51 stopped ----
52
53 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Do you know about that?
54
55 THE WITNESS: I do not know, my Lord, because as I have not been
56 interested in balance sheet I have not followed it. I do
57 not know what the tonnage available was last year and I do
58 not know who bought it.
59
60 MR. MORRIS: Just a couple of final questions on the letter from
