Day 069 - 19 Dec 94 - Page 54


     
     1
     2   Q.   And old cardboard and newspapers, and things like that?
     3        A.  That is not -- I have never seen anybody using that.
     4
     5   Q.   You have seen them using the slaughterhouse waste and the
     6        waste from farms?
     7        A.  What you call "waste", the internal organs can be dried
     8        up, mixed up; and they are mostly used for pet foods.
     9
    10   Q.   But they also get used for cattle feed?
    11        A.  It could be, yes.  They have, yes.  It is protein; it
    12        is a very good source of protein.  Humans do not tend to
    13        have an appreciation for it, but it is protein.
    14
    15   Q.   The US DA has tried out using cement dust to use in the
    16        feed and they have found that that is very effective for
    17        making the cattle gain weight?
    18        A.  Cement dust?
    19
    20   Q.   That is right.
    21        A.  I do not know where you get that information.  That is
    22        absurd.
    23
    24   Q.   You do not know about that?
    25        A.  There is no nutritional value from cement.  You cannot
    26        feed anybody dust and expect that it will gain some
    27        weight.  I do not know where you get your information from.
    28
    29   Q.   So you are not aware of that?
    30        A.  No.
    31
    32   Q.   But McDonald's would not have any specifications to stop
    33        that happening?
    34        A.  I have no control over what is fed to the animals.  We
    35        have controls regarding some of the things that you may or
    36        may not use, such as hormones and antibiotics, but we do
    37        not have control over how they are fed.  We could not
    38        possibly have control over what they eat.  Animals can eat
    39        whatever they want.  We do not have to tell them:  "Do not
    40        eat dust."  I have seen cattle that eat pieces of plastic,
    41        pieces of metal, dust.  You cannot control that.
    42
    43   Q.   No.  I am talking about what they are fed in their feeding
    44        troughs, not what gets in accidentally?
    45        A.  As I mentioned before, we do not have specifications
    46        for that.
    47
    48   Q.   Is that the same the world over?
    49        A.  Yes, except that you will find a very small proportion
    50        of feed lots outside of the US, even in the biggest 
    51        suppliers or exporters of beef in the world, including 
    52        Australia and Argentina. 
    53
    54   Q.   So have you actually looked into what goes into the feed
    55        for the cattle in the feed lots that supply McDonald's?
    56        A.  Yes, I have.
    57
    58   Q.   Apart from the cement dust, which you dispute, the other
    59        things that were referred to, it would not surprise you at
    60        all to see them in the food?

Prev Next Index