Day 285 - 23 Oct 96 - Page 20


     
     1        they are going to be concerned about the rainforest it
     2        will be as a result of public criticism and campaigns such
     3        as the international campaign launched by Friends of the
     4        Earth about the subject.
     5
     6   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Did you say customs or customers?
     7
     8   MR. MORRIS:   Customers.  And therefore, really what it comes
     9        down to in terms of this issue, the only relevant criteria
    10        that would affect McDonald's on their beef supplies, apart
    11        from public protest, of which the London Greenpeace fact
    12        sheet was, you know, some part of that long process
    13        initiated by others, is economics.
    14
    15        And we all know what economics means.  It means profits,
    16        the need for substantial and cheap supplies, and that is
    17        how an industry works.  So all a manager would have to say
    18        is, a McDonald's purchaser in any country in the world,
    19        the last twenty years or whenever, is where are we getting
    20        our beef from, how much does it cost, economic
    21        considerations.  Unless of course they were being
    22        scrutinised or on the defensive about public criticism
    23        from customers, which effectively means from public
    24        scrutiny by campaigning organisations or
    25        conservationalists or whatever.  So really economics is
    26        the only consideration.
    27
    28        And Dr. Gonzalez said on day 68, page 10, line 28:  Not
    29        every import passes through central administration.  So
    30        not only can he, could he -- well, in other words, even if
    31        McDonald's wanted to, they cannot know who is importing
    32        and exporting what to whom within their system.  And we
    33        therefore conclude that it is inevitable that Latin
    34        American and Central American beef or beef from rainforest
    35        countries has been used by McDonald's elsewhere, apart
    36        from the examples that we have categorically proved, and
    37        because there is absolutely no reason why they should not
    38        have done so, it is just an economic consideration.
    39
    40        Now, when did McDonald's bring in their rainforest policy
    41        published first published in 1989?   I think it is
    42        established - and I have not got the reference for this -
    43        by Ray Cesca, after extensive cross-examination, that
    44        previous to that it was just discussions, that there were
    45        some general verbal exchanges between McDonald's and
    46        suppliers from time to time saying that we have got to be
    47        environmentally responsible, and that when, I think it was
    48        Mr. Cesca said something --
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   I do not think you need give me the
    51        reference for that, because I have got that point.  When
    52        he was pressed by you or Miss Steel, it turned out that 
    53        what he meant was that it was part of the ethics of the
    54        company that they did not do anything which is
    55        environmentally harmful, something basically to that
    56        effect, rather than a specific rainforest policy.
    57
    58   MR. MORRIS:   Yes.  Because I think that McDonald's had been
    59        trying up to that point to say that their rainforest
    60        policy had existed since the first store had opened, and

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