Day 288 - 28 Oct 96 - Page 23
1 is utterly indifferent to the welfare of the animals. We
2 consider that it would be viewed as torture if humans were
3 kept in those conditions and that we are therefore entitled
4 to the view that it is also torture for animals. (Pause)
5
6 Can I just make a further point about the utter
7 indifference of the Plaintiffs, which is that in the High
8 Levels magazine which is produced by McDonald's Restaurants
9 Limited in this country for, I believe, management grade
10 and above, but certainly for head office big wigs, so it is
11 not a public document. This is document number 15.
12 I think it was in the very last list of Defendants'
13 documents that was served in all the stuff about the
14 counterclaim.
15
16 On page 6 of that document - this seems to have been
17 produced in 1994 - there is a section on cementing
18 relations. Well, it is entitled Cementing Relations and it
19 says that the first annual suppliers conference took place
20 at the beginning of the year at Brockett Hall in
21 Hertfordshire with two clear aims; one to cement relations
22 between our corporate officers and our suppliers; and two,
23 to finalise plans for business development for 1994 and
24 beyond. And it discusses a presentation covered by the
25 quality assurance department.
26
27 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It mentions ----
28
29 MS. STEEL: Sorry, it covered their goals. And it was
30 presented by Barbara Crawford who is from that department.
31 It says in the second column: Barbara herself will be
32 looking at areas which we did not get too involved with in
33 the past - animal welfare, crop production methods, genetic
34 engineering of both plants and animals and food
35 legislation, which is a great time consumer.
36
37 We would say that is a clear admission that it is only very
38 recently, in the past couple of years, that McDonald's have
39 made any effort to get involved with the animal welfare of
40 the animals reared for their products, and that effectively
41 the only reason they have done that is because of the
42 amount of pressure that they have been under from the
43 animal rights movement, facing widespread public criticism,
44 and that more than likely this is probably just another
45 thing that they are going to use for propaganda purposes.
46
47 But, at any rate, it is an admission that they have not got
48 very involved with animal welfare in the past and certainly
49 that would have been the case in 1989/1990 when the fact
50 sheet which we are being sued over was allegedly
51 distributed.
52
53 Do you need me to find the bundle that that is in? I
54 could probably do it.
55
56 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No. I, in fact, remember the article and I
57 am confident I will find it. As I have said before, if
58 there are particular documents or pages of documents that I
59 am having difficulty finding as I write my judgment, I will
60 ask Mr. Glenn to write and get them identified then.
