Meat magnate forced to testify in McLibel trial

DAN MILLS

As the evidence in the McLibel trial drew to a close, McDonald's much-vaunted claim that it is not connected in any way to rainforest destruction was dealt one more devastating blow. Lord Vestey, Chair of Vestey Group Limited, was served with a subpoena by Helen Steel and forced to come to court to be questioned. His testimony caps two years of evidence whereby a multinational corporation has been effectively put on trial over their business practices - junk food products, exploitation of workers and animals, advertising strategy and damage to the environment. The court had already heard much evidence about the import of five consignments of Brazilian beef for McDonald's UK stores in 1983-84. These shipments only came to light in a confidential letter mistakenly disclosed to the Defendants in 1994. Clearly, McDonald's would have preferred this to remain a secret. In an earlier letter, they had told a member of the public in the UK in 1982 "we can assure you that the only Brazilian beef used by McDonald's is that purchased by the six stores located in Brazil itself". The shipments also contradicted McDonald's stated policy of using only European-produced beef in the UK. In 1983 Lord Vestey was director of the Vestey family group of companies, which supplied McDonald's UK with the Brazilian beef from the Vestey plant at Barretos (in the state of S~o Paulo). A letter written at the time, from David Walker (Chair of McKey Foods, then a subsidiary of McDonald's UK) to a Vestey subsidiary revealed that the imports were a matter of great controversy. The letter stated that Prince Philip (President of the World Wildlife Fund) had recently greeted the President of McDonald's Canada:

"So you are the people who are tearing down the Brazilian rainforests and breeding cattle" to which the reply was: "I think you are mistaken", whereupon HRH said "Rubbish" and stormed away. Following this, the letter stated that the Chair of the McDonald's Corporation, "issued a worldwide edict that no McDonald's plant was to use Brazilian beef". The very same letter revealed that McDonald's UK, had given Walker permission to use the Brazilian beef imports.

Since the Brazilian shipments were being arranged at the time of this dispute with Prince Philip, Lord Vestey had been asked by David Walker to write a letter "confirming" that the beef was not "coming from reclaimed land from destroyed rainforests" Lord Vestey delivered the requested letter, stating that the cattle supplied to the meat plant were not from any rainforest region. However, in court, the assurance given in this letter was completely blown apart. When questioned by the McLibel Two, Vestey admitted that the origins of over 150,000 head of cattle slaughtered annually at the plant were untraceable. They had been transported into central Brazil (S~o Paulo) to be fattened up before slaughter. Brazilian experts for the McLibel Defendants have given evidence that cattle reared in ex-rainforest areas in other states are routinely taken to S~o Paulo state for fattening.

The evidence closed in mid-July after the testimony of Helen Steel herself, who was in the witness box for four days. Both sides will return to court in October to present their closing speeches (lasting up to nine weeks). Judgment is expected at the end of this year or early 1997.

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McLibel Support Campaign, 5 Caledonian Road,London N1 9DX (tel/fax +44 171 713 1269; email dbriars@world.std.com).