Day 159 - 20 Jul 95 - Page 02


     
     1                                      Thursday, 20th July 1995.
     2
     3   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, before we start, can I mention that
     4        Mrs. Farrer is here and is ready to give her evidence
     5        whenever your Lordship pleases after the interlocutories
     6        have been completed.
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think I will stick to not before 2.00.  The
     9        position is I am ready to give my ruling on the transcript
    10        matter, but because of the situation with regard to
    11        transcripts, including transcripts of rulings, since there
    12        is no objection from you and none from Barnett Lenton, it
    13        seems to me helpful if I can have it word processed.  So
    14        although in this instance I will deliver it in open court,
    15        I can hand to the Defendants a copy of what I am saying
    16        already typed up.  I am hoping that all that, with Mr.
    17        Dudley's hard work, will be achieved in time to do it at
    18        2 o'clock.  There need be no mystery about it.
    19
    20   MR. MORRIS:  Does that mean the ruling is likely to be at
    21        2 o'clock?
    22
    23   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Hopefully.  Mr. Dudley is working very hard.
    24
    25   MR. RAMPTON:  The other thing I mention now -- it may be sooner
    26        rather than later -- is that the kindly usher said she
    27        might be able to prompt the kindly authorities to provide
    28        us with some kind of fans during the course of the day.
    29
    30   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
    31
    32   MR. MORRIS:  In the order which Mr. Rampton brought up his
    33        points, he started off saying that the seriousness with
    34        which they took the situation with the UK Brazilian beef
    35        showed how serious they were about their claimed policy
    36        although, of course, we are saying the policy is confusing,
    37        contradictory and, effectively, non-existent, but the only
    38        reason that Mr. Walker discovered that there was any
    39        policy, if there was a policy, was because of the massive
    40        political row with Prince Philip.  Unfortunately, there is
    41        not a massive political row with Prince Philip every few
    42        weeks to make McDonald's have policies or adhere to
    43        policies.  That is what made that situation particularly
    44        special.  I think that is pretty clear from all the
    45        evidence we have heard, and that situation was,
    46        effectively, completely hushed up and buried until it was
    47        discovered by accident.
    48
    49        Then Mr. Rampton said something about it is clear that
    50        could not have happened around that time, are the words he 
    51        said, anywhere else.  It may not have happened around that 
    52        time anywhere else because of the massive political row 
    53        that they had with Prince Philip, who was head of the World
    54        Wildlife Fund at the time, but that particular edict, even
    55        though it was contravened, would have probably inhibited
    56        people from doing anything publicly similar around that
    57        time, but we are talking about throughout the 80s and,
    58        indeed, possibly into the 90s.  Again, this is not in any
    59        effective order, but it is just our view on it, really.
    60        Mr. Rampton said something about if there was discovery,

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