Day 276 - 09 Jul 96 - Page 11
1 Q. Yes.
2 A. And therefore presumably that might affect it, but I
3 cannot possibly go into the ramifications of how and why,
4 whether it is 69, 79, 89 or 99.
5
6 Q. Yes.
7
8 MS. STEEL: Well, do you remember whether there were subsidies
9 from the Brazilian government for the use of land for
10 cattle ranching?
11 A. I didn't say that did I?
12
13 Q. No, I am asking?
14 A. No, I do not remember there being subsidies.
15
16 Q. Right. In the letter that you wrote to David Walker in
17 1983 you refer to the 200,000 head of cattle killed there
18 annually being bred on the natural scrub plains of the
19 states of Minas Goias and Mato Grosso.
20
21 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Ought we not to have the reference?
22
23 MS. STEEL: In a second, yes. And also on the extensive flood
24 plains of the River Paraguy, that would not have all been
25 Vestey's own land would it?
26 A. No.
27
28 Q. Right. Would you have visited all the areas, all the farms
29 that were supplying the beef?
30 A. No.
31
32 Q. No. Do you visit any of the farms that were not owned by
33 Vestey?
34 A. No.
35
36 Q. Right. And did you have anything to do with the side of
37 the business in Brazil that was purchasing these cattle?
38 A. Me personally, no.
39
40 Q. Right. So you could not help us with exactly the areas
41 where they were coming from?
42 A. No.
43
44 Q. Right. If you want to get out the letter, it should be in
45 yellow 11 on the shelves behind you. Somebody might help
46 you, actually.
47 A. Where would you like me to go now?
48
49 Q. Actually, before we go to the letter can I just ask you a
50 couple of other questions? The cattle are reared around
51 Brazil in various places and then they would be taken to
52 San Paulo or nearer your processing plant for fattening, is
53 that correct?
54 A. Some cattle. There are a lot of cattle reared around
55 Brazil. Some of those cattle would be take to Sau Paulo
56 and fattened because the Sau Paulo grass and land is better
57 than other bits.
58
59 Q. Right?
60 A. And that would be near our plant in Barretos.
