Day 287 - 25 Oct 96 - Page 17


     
     1   MR JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
     2
     3   MR. MORRIS:   On day 225, page 10, Mr. Cesca helpfully agreed
     4        with what Dr. Gonzales said, that -- at line ten --
     5        McDonald's take about ten percent or something of a
     6        carcass.  He is asked, "That sounds about right?"  Answer,
     7        "Yes."  So the volume of beef consumed by McDonald's in
     8        any country in terms of the volume of cattle that need to
     9        be slaughtered and made available and raised and reared to
    10        their specifications is ten times greater than the actual
    11        volume of beef that they physically use, we would say.
    12
    13        Then there was a long discussion about exactly how many
    14        million tons of soya meal Brazil exports and Germany
    15        imports and Europe imports.  On page 12, line 26, I said,
    16        "So it is likely that the Brazilian soya in that year
    17        anyway", I was referring to 1984, "would have basically
    18        swamped the market, do you agree with that?"  Answer,
    19        "Yes."  On page 16, he recognises the need for cattle feed
    20        when cattle are not able to graze during the winter, not
    21        only in Germany.  Actually there was a question you asked,
    22        but he did not answer.  "Just like wet grass-growing areas
    23        of this country", but the same would apply to other
    24        countries in Europe.
    25
    26        Then he says, on page 17, line 12, "I assumed that
    27        McDonald's cattle would be pretty typical of what grows in
    28        that region of the country".  Then you said that you did
    29        not want me to ask any more on the subject because,
    30        "Mr. Cesca is prepared to assume that McDonald's cattle
    31        would be pretty typical so far as feeding is concerned."
    32        Answer, "That is correct, your Honour."  That was line 25.
    33
    34        So the chain of causation from the dispossession of
    35        Brazilian farmers for vast soya production ranches, or
    36        farms, for export to Europe, amongst other places,
    37        substantial imports to Europe, substantial exports to
    38        Germany and the use by McDonald's in Germany of beef fed
    39        with Brazilian soya and, indeed, in this country fed with
    40        cattle (sic) from Germany as well -- sorry, using cattle
    41        that had been fed, using cattle that emanated from Germany
    42        in this country.  We would say the chain of causation is
    43        established and McDonald's, recognise that, must know that,
    44        have a policy which they say would be protecting the
    45        environment from that problem, but the reality is they do
    46        not even -- their purchasing people do not even know that
    47        the policy exists, purely a publicity policy.
    48
    49        Just to finish off Mr. Cesca's evidence on the subject, if
    50        there is anything else I need to refer to.  On page 18, 
    51        asked about the eviction of small farmers, on line 27 he 
    52        said, "No, I could not be an expert in that".  So, he was 
    53        not prepared to be considered to be an expert.  I asked him
    54        had there been a huge increase in soya production in Brazil
    55        in the last twenty-seven.  Answer, "Yes, there has been an
    56        increase in soya production."  That was line 43.  I said,
    57        on page 19, line 4, "Would you accept then the large
    58        increase in production in Brazil, a major contributory
    59        factor to that has been the increasing export potential of
    60        the industry in Brazil? "  Answer, "Yes."  Question, "In

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