Day 067 - 15 Dec 94 - Page 55


     
     1        basically zero, for at least five years.
     2
     3   Q.   So it has gone from zero to 80 per cent in five years?
     4
     5   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  He did not actually say that.  You may be
     6        right, but that is not what he said.
     7        A.  I do not know when it started for sure.  If need be
     8        I can ask some questions and provide an answer either
     9        tomorrow, if I am able to contact the right persons, or
    10        later on in the trial through our -----
    11
    12   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  In fact, I am not sure I heard what has come
    13        up on the screen.  Was it your understanding that what has
    14        happened in Germany has developed from nothing or next to
    15        nothing over the last five years?
    16        A.  Yes, roughly, that is correct.
    17
    18   MR. MORRIS:  Is that sort of pattern the same in the other
    19        countries?  You mentioned Argentina, Costa Rica?
    20        A.  I am sorry?
    21
    22   Q.   Has that kind of pattern been the same in those other
    23        countries that you mentioned?
    24        A.  The reasons for which they were created are different
    25        in the different countries.  In Germany it was driven by
    26        our desire to have control of the supply chain.  It was
    27        also driven by the customer who wanted to know where the
    28        meat was coming from, whether it was Germany or some of the
    29        other countries.  In Argentina, who is a world player in
    30        beef and who exports beef to Europe and who have the
    31        capability of that particular supplier that works, that is
    32        a slaughterhouse as well as a meat processing manufacturing
    33        facility for us, has the advantage that he owns some of the
    34        cattle, most of the cattle, so that cattle they own we know
    35        where it is coming from.  It is processed in the same
    36        facility and it is processed into patties in the same
    37        facilities, and it is then transported to our restaurants.
    38        It is for that reason that we can control and know where
    39        the meat came from.
    40
    41   MR. MORRIS:  Sorry, is Argentina on this list?
    42
    43   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
    44
    45   MR. RAMPTON:  It is J.
    46
    47   MR. MORRIS:  Yes, Argentina.  Just while we are on J, it does
    48        not say it is exported to Europe there.  It does say
    49        chicken is exported to -- I cannot read the first one --
    50        somewhere, Holland and Hong Kong, Germany Holland and Hong 
    51        Kong? 
    52        A.  That is correct.  What they do not export are 
    53        McDonald's products.  It is the supplier that manufactures
    54        our beef.  They do export to Europe and some other
    55        countries.  It is an EC approved facility, but we do not
    56        export any of our beef patties to any country outside of
    57        Argentina, that are coming from Argentina.
    58
    59   Q.   Or meat, pre-patty meat?
    60        A.  That is correct.

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