Day 294 - 05 Nov 96 - Page 30


     
     1   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Day?
     2
     3   MR. MORRIS:   Day 77, page 48 - this is a point I have not made
     4         - he did not deny there were pesticide residues in the
     5        meat.  He just said the levels were not undesirably high.
     6        That was just another point.
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Do not -----
     9
    10   MR. MORRIS:   I cannot remember what the exact ----
    11
    12   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   What I would like you to do at some stage
    13        is, if you really do think there is evidence to support one
    14        burger in a million, then tell me how you come to that
    15        conclusion.
    16
    17   MR. MORRIS:   Yes.
    18
    19   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Right.  You had -----
    20
    21   MR. MORRIS:   So, moving on to the subject of growth -- I am
    22        going to finish this run-through by the end of today --
    23        moving on to growth promoters, McDonald's UK have said they
    24        will not accept beef from cattle subjected to growth
    25        promoters or hormone treatment.  And I think that was in
    26        their McFact book.  It was not the most recent one.  It was
    27        the first McFact book that has been disclosed.  I think we
    28        disclosed it.
    29
    30        And we would say that is a recognition of health concerns
    31        over the use of growth promoters and hormone treatment.
    32        And Mr. Kenny said it was "not desirable" to have hormones
    33        or antibiotics in the food chain.  He believed that the
    34        concern with antibiotics was that, quote, treatment
    35        resistant strains of bacteria may develop in the human
    36        body, unquote.  That is a growing concern, as probably
    37        everybody now recognises.  In fact, there was some world
    38        medical association conference last week or something which
    39        was alarmed about this development.  Mr. Kenny also
    40        acknowledged "public concerns" over pesticide residues in
    41        food, and stated that McDonald's "would not want them in
    42        the food chain", because of health risks.
    43
    44        And our side have referred to a 1987 US National Research
    45        Council major report on pesticide residues, which listed
    46        beef as ranking second of the list of foods with the
    47        greatest estimated "uncargenic" carcinogenic risk because
    48        of pesticide residues.
    49
    50        Mr. Kenny admitted that their lettuce also contained
    51        pesticide residues, although he believed the residue levels
    52        were within government limits.  I think Mr. Kenny works in
    53        their quality assurance department.
    54
    55   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  He did.  He worked under Mrs. Crawford, did
    56        he not?
    57
    58   MR. MORRIS:   Right.  Then to move on to abattoir conditions,
    59        which is all part of this chain of production which
    60        magnifies rather than reduces the risks of chicken and

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