Day 049 - 09 Nov 94 - Page 28

     
     1   Q.   Why mention Big Mac?
     2        A.  The Big Mac was mentioned, because McDonald's are one
     3        of the biggest multi-national companies in the world who
     4        obviously are responsible for killing maybe more animals
     5        than practically any other company, I would imagine.
     6
     7   Q.   You know perfectly well, do you not, that children between
     8        the ages of 14 and 18, particularly in the light of the
     9        evidence you have given this morning, are going to think of
    10        McDonald's when they see that film, are they not?
    11        A.  They may do, they may not.  I do not know.
    12
    13   Q.   You know that it is untrue that McDonald's exploit the
    14        rainforests to grow cattle for hamburgers, do you not?
    15        A.  I do not know that, no.
    16
    17   Q.   Were you editor of Green Scene in February 1990?
    18        A.  Yes, I was.
    19
    20   Q.   You published an apology for suggesting that McDonald's
         were responsible for ruining the rainforests, did you not?
    22        A.  Yes, we did publish an apology, but we published the
    23        apology because there was not the money to fight the case.
    24
    25   Q.   What evidence do you have that McDonald's destroy
    26        rainforests?
    27        A.  I only know of the evidence that I have read from
    28        organisations mainly in the USA and films like
    29        Jungle Burger, where meat production workers are saying
    30        that the area of rainforest that they destroyed to do
    31        cattle ranching was then going to the USA, and McDonald's
    32        were one of the buyers of it -- information like that.
    33
    34   Q.   You are not willing to accept that McDonald's in the USA
    35        import no beef from any other country in the world?
    36        A.  I do not accept it, no.
    37
    38   Q.   On what grounds do you not accept it?
    39        A.  From the information I have heard from people like
    40        that, because I do not think those meat production workers
         have any grounds -- they certainly are not making any money
    42        from saying something like that.  I do not think they have
    43        any other grounds to say it, other than the truth.
    44
    45   Q.   Your sources of information are things like Jungle Burger,
    46        are they?
    47        A.  Yes.
    48
    49   Q.   I see.  There was a suggestion there, was there not, that
    50        rainforest trees are cut down to make packaging for 
    51        hamburgers? 
    52        A.  Yes, there was. 
    53
    54   Q.   Do you know of any evidence to suggest that McDonald's do
    55        that?
    56        A.  I do not know of any evidence, no, about McDonald's.
    57        But we never say that McDonald's do do it, either.
    58
    59   Q.   You were saying in that film -- and I say you, because the
    60        film was funded by your society, or one of its charities,