Day 255 - 23 May 96 - Page 05
1 Q. Right, and the bit that you were complaining about was the
2 statement:
3
4 "Hamburger chains like McDonald's and Burger King have been
5 implicated in tropical deforestation. For example, the
6 cattle ranching in some parts of Latin America helping to
7 turn virgin rainforest into worn out semi deserts"?
8 A. Yes.
9
10 Q. Was that the only bit you were suing over in there because
11 there are other references to McDonald's but I am just
12 trying to check?
13 A. No. I think ----
14
15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You did not sue?
16 A. We did not sue.
17
18 Q. So rephrase it, "the only part you asked to have removed".
19
20 MS. STEEL: The only part you took any kind of action over?
21 A. I cannot remember now, it is so long ago. Hamburgers
22 was, that one paragraph was certainly a part of it. We
23 certainly were not interested in the article. I think that
24 was probably the main part that we were concerned about.
25
26 Q. Because you have been sitting here all the time, you have
27 heard all evidence, and you have heard that there has been
28 various admissions that you do use beef from cattle reared
29 on ex-rainforest land, so what is said there is basically
30 true; is it not?
31 A. No, I do not think it is. It says here we have been
32 implicated in tropical deforestation and I do not think we
33 have.
34
35 Q. If someone is implicated in something, it does not actually
36 have to mean that they carried it out themselves, just that
37 they had some kind of connection to it?
38 A. Well, no, I think it goes further than that. I think
39 it is saying that we have been involved in the
40 deforestation of rainforests. As I say, John Elkington was
41 quite happy to remove that paragraph and rephrase it, which
42 he did.
43
44 Q. If he had not agreed to do so, then presumably you were
45 threatening to sue him for libel?
46 A. No, we were not threatening. We said that if he did
47 not, then we would have to consider our next course of
48 action.
49
50 Q. Which might include suing him for libel?
51 A. Which might include taking him to court certainly.
52
53 Q. Right. We go to tab 3?
54 A. Yes?
55
56 Q. Do you remember this pamphlet?
57 A. Yes, I do indeed.
58
59 Q. It says this was published in September 1987 and the date
60 of action was November 1987?