Day 061 - 05 Dec 94 - Page 67
1
2 Q. Well, you are the person in charge of McDonald's
3 specifications on its purchasing, so if we have not got a
4 document we have to ask you because Mr. Walker, presumably
5 if he has not disclosed a document on it, will say that is
6 what the specification is?
7 A. Well, with the court's permission I would check and
8 make that available; not the document, it is a sensitive
9 document, but I would certainly answer your question.
10
11 Q. Sorry, what is the document that would be sensitive?
12 A. McDonald's specification.
13
14 Q. On age?
15 A. No, on anything.
16
17 Q. I do not know if you know, but we have a great long list of
18 McDonald's specifications, International Product
19 Specifications, and one of them is "Aged beef is not
20 allowed"?
21 A. Right.
22
23 Q. Sorry, that is beef exceeding seven days in age from
24 slaughter to bone. That is different; not the actual age of
25 the animal. I do not believe ----
26 A. There is any nine year-old statement in there -- I do
27 not either.
28
29 Q. Well, to be honest, I have heard that, but I cannot
30 remember the document I have seen it in.
31
32 MR. RAMPTON: What is the problem, my Lord? Mr. Walker's
33 statement which contains the age "eight to nine years is a
34 maximum" is appended to his statement at Appendix 2, is the
35 Raw Specification for Beef Patty Production, and on the
36 second page of the text we simply find this, and it is
37 plainly a term of art, "Wet strew cows will not be
38 acceptable".
39
40 MR. MORRIS: So wet strew cows are something which is above
41 eight year-olds, something like that?
42 A. Yes. I think your question was, does it appear in
43 McDonald's specification that we do not allow eight to nine
44 year-old cows, and I have answered I do not think so.
45 Mr. Walker would certainly have it in his specification to
46 the abattoir because he does not prefer to work with old
47 cows basically. He does not think it makes a good product.
48
49 Q. Do you happen to know why it does not make a good product?
50 A. I would say it would be tough, extremely fat; tough
51 mostly.
52
53 Q. Mr. Walker also says in his statement on No. 45 that each
54 abattoir has its own veterinary surgeon and environmental
55 health officer. Do you happen to know if that is EC law?
56 A. I think it is, yes.
57
58 Q. So it is not an additional specification as far as you
59 know?
60 A. No.
