Day 095 - 02 Mar 95 - Page 44


     
     1
     2   Q.   It is more expensive because it is better quality.
     3
     4   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I do not know.  That is in the eye of the
     5        eater, is it not?
     6
     7   MR. RAMPTON:  I did not know that the quality of McDonald's food
     8        as eating material has anything to do with this case.
     9
    10   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If you do eat meat you may well prefer a cut
    11        which happens not to be expensive.
    12
    13   MR. MORRIS:  I have not eaten meat for so long that ----
    14
    15   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is why I said "if you do".
    16
    17   MR. MORRIS:  But generally around the world where there are feed
    18        lots, McDonald's does not have a policy of not using feed
    19        lots, more expensive beef?
    20        A.  We do not have a policy of not using feed lots.  We do
    21        not use it in most of the countries.  In fact I do not know
    22        of a single country in which we buy meat from feed lots.
    23        Feed lots are not common in a lot of countries.  Feed lots
    24        is a very small proportion of Australian beef, very, very
    25        small.
    26
    27   Q.   Just going back to the USA, the cattle that do not come
    28        from feed lots and are not dairy cows in America that are
    29        your sources, what generally are the conditions they live
    30        in?
    31        A.  They are grass fed animals.  They live in ranches, open
    32        pasture.
    33
    34   Q.   Some of them come from indoor conditions as well, some
    35        percentage?
    36        A.  I do not know, no.
    37
    38   Q.   They do not?
    39        A.  That I can think of, no.
    40
    41   Q.   But you do not know of the sources?
    42        A.  No.  I do not know of any that have come from there.
    43
    44   Q.   The ones that are in outside ranges or fields, whatever,
    45        are they purely grass fed or do they also have some ----
    46        A.  You will find a wide variety of management practices.
    47        Some of them are supplemented with minerals; some of them
    48        are supplemented with high quality grasses; some are
    49        supplemented with a little bit of grain, almost
    50        insignificant.  You will find a lot of practices.  It 
    51        depends will also on the quality of the pasture. 
    52 
    53   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It depends on the weather conditions and
    54        whether you are in one of the more extreme weather areas of
    55        the States I would assume?
    56        A.  That is correct.
    57
    58   Q.   If you are well inland and fairly north, then you are going
    59        to have to get through the winter as best as you can
    60        feeding your cattle?

Prev Next Index