Day 058 - 30 Nov 94 - Page 21
1 justification which Ms. Steel, I remember, particularly,
2 arguing that since it referred to forest, the word used was
3 "forest" not "rainforests", the 800 square miles should be
4 taken to refer to forests generally and not be restricted
5 to rainforests.
6
7 Are you actually suggesting that more plantation forest has
8 had to be provided because of McDonald's?
9
10 MR. MORRIS: Because of McDonald's and the industry that they
11 are part of, yes, and the plantation forests have an effect
12 on the environment and ecosystems that would exist in
13 natural forests and, in fact, species of flora and fauna
14 are being destroyed, dying out, and other implications of
15 plantation forests are important as well; they have an
16 effect on the environment, the use of pesticides, erosion.
17
18 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I know you say that the leaflet is an attack
19 on large corporations generally, but I am particularly
20 concerned with where McDonald's complain that it is an
21 attack on them. I really think you can take these points
22 really quite quickly. I am not saying that you have not
23 moved on through them this morning, but I think you really
24 can take them quite quickly, because we have to see to what
25 extent, if at all, McDonald's can be held responsible for
26 plantations of softwood trees or any other abuse of forest
27 apart from rainforests, and then somewhere near the tail of
28 the dog we come to, you know, these various adverse matters
29 and you have your witnesses' evidence in relation to that.
30
31 MR. MORRIS: Yes. I think that it comes down to, as probably
32 Mr. Rampton might say, it matters not that McDonald's use,
33 whether it is 200 miles of forest or square miles of
34 forest, or what, if everything in the garden is rosy and
35 those forests are all managed terrifically and help to
36 encourage the environment to flower. Obviously, our
37 contention is that is not the case whatsoever. The effect
38 of not just plantations but the felling also of natural
39 forests which happens in, for example, America is damaging
40 to the environment, broadly. We are trying to identify
41 from Mr. Mallinson who has defended the forestry industry's
42 practices, we are trying to see what the practices are,
43 have they changed, when did they change and that kind of
44 thing.
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, I thought that must be the way you were
47 putting it. What I suggest is that you can come to a
48 particular head and just put the impact of what you say
49 your case is on these matters in one or two questions, then
50 we can probably move on. Yet again it is, obviously, an
51 area where people have very different views about the
52 rights and wrongs of things. What I am most concerned is,
53 given the very differing views there obviously are on this,
54 even if your view is the better one, to what extent are
55 McDonald's responsible?
56
57 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, might I say something at this stage?
58
59 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, do, please.
60
