Day 255 - 23 May 96 - Page 15
1 that you were responsible for torture and murder, would
2 affect you more than criticisms about your food being
3 unhealthy, or connected to food poisoning, or using
4 unethical advertising?
5 A. At that time, the concerns that we detected amongst the
6 public related to rainforests and torture and murder. They
7 were the two areas we addressed at that time.
8
9 Q. And employment conditions, if you considered it to be
10 something of a libellous----
11 A. If we considered it to be potentially hurtful to us, as
12 we considered to be so in the case of Transnational, yes,
13 we would have pursued it.
14
15 Q. Can I hand up a copy of Peace News -- I am not sure whether
16 it is in the bundles (Handed). Would you just have a read
17 of that article?
18 A. What, "Bad Day for Big Mac"?
19
20 Q. Yes. It should actually be in the bundles somewhere but
21 I do not know where.
22
23 MR. JUSTICE BELL: We saw it the other day.
24
25 MS. STEEL: I do not know where it is.
26 A. Yes.
27
28 Q. Do you see that there is an inference there that because
29 you are only asking them to retract the allegations
30 relating to tropical rainforests, and it goes on about the
31 article is also critical of non-union working conditions at
32 McDonald's, the ill effect of junk food and the torture and
33 murder of animals, that the article implies that you are
34 basically accepting those criticisms?
35 A. We would not accept those criticisms.
36
37 Q. No, but do you see that that is the implication of the
38 article?
39 A. Yes.
40
41 Q. Right. Your solicitors and you wrote to Veggies after
42 having seen this article to extend the apology to include
43 the words "torture" and "murder", but did not about the
44 other things that are mentioned there and all the other
45 things that are referred to in the Veggies fact sheet.
46 A. I cannot remember seeing this article. I am not sure
47 whether I ever -- I am not saying I did not, I cannot
48 remember having seen this article -- did before or after we
49 wrote to Veggies.
50
51 I repeat, in writing to Veggies, we were concerned about
52 those areas that were of interest to the public and, at
53 that time, the areas of interest to the public, as
54 perceived by us, was the rainforest issue and the torture
55 and murder of animals.
56
57 Q. Do you see in the letter of 23rd November there is a
58 reference to the article in Peace News?
59 A. Yes, and I take it I saw it beforehand or at least
60 I had it brought to my attention by Barlows beforehand.
