SPONSORED
PASTURE,
From an innovative farm manager to McDonald’s young farmers, meet some of the skilled producers whose hard work goes into your Big Mac – and who are putting quality front and centre
IN A FIELD just a few miles from the centre of Oxford, a herd of beef cattle are chomping away on thick clumps of grass. Nothing unusual about that, except this farm prides itself on lush green pastures for grazing all year round, despite recent challenges such as floods and drought.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and at McDonald’s there are plenty of options to choose from – from pancakes and porridge (add a little jam or syrup if that’s your thing) to the classic British bacon roll (with pork sourced from RSPCA Assured British farms) topped with a dollop of ketchup. All washed down with freshly ground coffee that’s 100 per cent Rainforest Alliance certified, or tea, and served with organic semi-skimmed milk sourced from UK and Irish farms. But there’s no better way to start the day than with a Sausage & Egg McMuffin!
Muffin
compares
to you
McDonald’s only uses free range eggs from British hens. And they’re supplied by farmers like David and Helen Brass, co-owners of The Lakes Free Range Egg Company in Penrith, Cumbria. The company, which has produced eggs for McDonald’s for over 20 years, has planted native trees across 20 per cent of the chicken ranges on its farms to provide cover for the hens. When not under restrictions due to avian flu, the tree cover makes the hens feel safe from predators, meaning they range further and are therefore more active. This protection improves their wellbeing and the quality of their eggs. Sounds like David and Helen have cracked it!
DID YOU KNOW?
Did
you
know
McDonald’s fries are the most popular item on the menu! The majority of the potatoes used for our world-famous sides come from over 110 British growers. They produce six specific varieties, including Russet Burbank and Shepody, that are destined only for the McDonald’s menu, so you won’t find them in your local supermarket. They’re naturally bigger too, making them perfect for the extra-long McDonald’s fries. Whole potatoes are washed, peeled, cut, prepared and frozen before being cooked in rapeseed oil, with a sprinkle of salt added before serving. Very satis-frying!
SPUDTACULAR FRIES
Did
you
know
McDonald’s, along with its potato supplier McCain, is investing £1million in the Sustainable MacFries Fund for research and grants, to help British potato growers make their farms more sustainable. It will enable them to learn more about soil quality and good water management – vital for greener growing processes – and continue to supply the best British tatties for your favourite fries in a more sustainable way for the future.
DID YOU KNOW?
There’s nothing quite like that first bite into a juicy Big Mac. But why does that beef taste so good? All McDonald’s beef burgers are made from whole cuts of 100 per cent British and Irish beef, with just a pinch of salt and pepper added after cooking. McDonald’s only uses forequarter and flank cuts in its burgers, and the beef is accredited by nationally recognised farm assurance schemes, such as Red Tractor in the UK and Bord Bia in the Republic of Ireland – which means the meat is responsibly sourced.
BUN
IN A MILLION
Did
you
know
McDonald’s has a Sustainable Beef Network, giving British and Irish beef farmers a forum to share knowledge. McDonald’s meets with the farmers throughout the year to discuss key issues like promoting responsible use of antibiotics in meat, reducing carbon footprinting, and business planning. So whenever beef farmers come up with new innovations – like maximising the use of grassland and reducing gas emissions – they can pass on the knowledge and everyone benefits. In fact, the company is working with two research farms to support farmers in McDonald’s mission to deliver net zero emissions by 2040.
DID YOU KNOW?
When you hit that afternoon slump, a reviving visit to McDonald’s for a McCafé coffee is in order. Hot drinks – from lattes, cappuccinos and hot chocolate to a good old British cup of tea – use only organic semi-skimmed milk from UK farms. That goes for the milk that comes with kids’ Happy Meals too! And because millions of McCafé cups recycled through our restaurants every year are turned into greetings cards, carrier bags and more, you’ll know the one you’ve just slurped your latte out of might have a new lease of life by next Christmas!
Thanks
a latte
Did
you
know
In 2022, McDonald’s worked with its dairy supplier Arla to support 65 organic dairy farmers to meet enhanced organic standards. These include: soil health (active soil management and measurement plans), biodiversity (all organic dairy farms now have a unique plan for improving biodiversity), and climate (all farms measure and manage their carbon emissions). This work, in association with dairy co-operative Arla and the McDonald’s Organic Dairy Farmer Network, won a Judges’ Special Award at the dairy industry’s Cream Awards. You might say McDonald’s is the cream of the crop.
DID YOU KNOW?
Find out more about McDonald’s great food
and its Plan for Change at mcdonalds.com
PRESENT AND
THE FUTURE
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and at McDonald’s there are plenty of options to choose from – from pancakes and porridge (add a little jam or syrup if that’s your thing) to the classic British bacon roll (with pork sourced from RSPCA Assured British farms) topped with a dollop of ketchup. All washed down with freshly ground coffee that’s 100 per cent Rainforest Alliance certified, or tea, and served with organic semi-skimmed milk sourced from UK and Irish farms. But there’s no better way to start the day than with a Sausage & Egg McMuffin!
Muffin
compares
to you
Did
you
know
McDonald’s only uses free range eggs from British hens. And they’re supplied by farmers like David and Helen Brass, co-owners of The Lakes Free Range Egg Company in Penrith, Cumbria. The company, which has produced eggs for McDonald’s for over 20 years, has planted native trees across 20 per cent of the chicken ranges on its farms to provide cover for the hens. When not under restrictions due to avian flu, the tree cover makes the hens feel safe from predators, meaning they range further and are therefore more active. This protection improves their wellbeing and the quality of their eggs. Sounds like David and Helen have cracked it!
DID YOU KNOW?
“The animals you see here are naturally eating a varied diet – it’s like a salad bar full of nutrition and health-giving benefits,” says 31-year-old farm manager Silas Hedley-Lawrence, who is an advocate of the method.
This is adaptive multi-paddock grazing in action, a project set up by the sustainability group FAI Farms and McDonald’s to demonstrate the benefits of regenerative agriculture. It’s a result of the two organisations’ ongoing work together on independent research that helps develop sustainable farming practices for the food industry.
When the cattle move to their overwintering pastures, the fields they go to will be divided into dozens of “small paddocks” with hay bales already in place for extra feed. The cows are then moved on to a new paddock every day so that no patch becomes overgrazed.
It’s an example of applying regeneration principles. These include: covering the soil to protect from burning by sun or frost; keeping living roots to provide creatures in the soil with food; reducing soil disturbance, such as ploughing, which can unlock carbon; growing diverse grasses, because soil thrives on variety; and using cattle to graze the land, which supercharges the soil.
As well as being good for soil health, this kind of farming encourages biodiversity, with healthy plants supporting insects, birds and mammals.
“Carbon is the energy driving force through all ecosystems, whether rainforest or pasture or anything in between,” explains Silas as it begins to drizzle. “When you start managing your farm with those things in mind, everything falls into place. Here we’re not concerned about market prices of fertilisers or seeds or fuel because we’re not buying any.”
Big Macs,
bigger plans
A Big Mac ends up in your hand so swiftly that you may not stop to consider the time and effort that go into making it.
There are more than 1,400 McDonald’s restaurants across the nation, serving around four million customers daily. But despite this huge turnover, this so-called fast food is the result of a methodical process.
It begins with more than 23,000 farmers in the UK and Ireland, including those who supply the whole cuts made from 100 per cent British and Irish beef that end up in those famous patties.
The next generation
Now in its eleventh year, the Progressive Young Farmers (PYF) programme for undergraduates is one way in which McDonald’s plays a part in attracting diverse new talent to farming. It helps young people kick-start a career in the food and farming industry by spending a year getting to know every step in the McDonald’s supply chain, from farm to your McDonald’s favourites.
Two recent graduates are Sarah Howseman, 24, from Lincolnshire, and Georgia Scott, 26, from Suffolk, who took part in the PYF scheme as part of their university studies and now work for McCain, the potato supplier.
“There definitely needs to be more young people involved in farming,” Georgia says. “A lot of people think you spend all your time on a tractor if you choose it as a career.
“The PYF scheme showed us there’s much more to it, including the whole supply chain, so it’s a very varied career. I don’t think I would have considered a job with McCain without it, which shows its importance in recruiting people into the industry.”
One of the key challenges the two learned about is climate change. During her placement on the PYF scheme Sarah was involved in the Sustainable MacFries Fund, set up in partnership by McDonald’s and McCain, providing £1million over two years in grants for farmers to learn about new techniques and technology to support soil health.
“Sustainability wasn’t something that drove me but being involved in the programme and seeing the importance of the efficient use of water for potato growers opened my eyes,” Sarah says.
“Quality is really important to McDonald’s. I didn’t appreciate the work that goes into the products until I did the placement and the work that is going on to safeguard that for the future.”
The majority of the potatoes used for McDonald’s world-famous sides come from more than 110 British growers. They produce six specific varieties, including Russet Burbank and Shepody, that are destined only for the McDonald’s menu, so you won’t find them in local supermarkets.
They’re naturally bigger too, making them perfect for the extra-long McDonald’s fries, which are made with nothing but whole potatoes with just a sprinkle of salt.
Meanwhile back in Oxford, FAI Farms is hoping to provide a template for beef farmers in the future.
“A lot of farmers are at the point where they realise the way they farm isn’t financially viable long-term,” says farm manager Silas. “The story around regenerative agriculture is growing quickly and people in the industry are beginning to realise it is a viable system.
“We don’t tell them what to do, we tell them about our journey, show them the data and explain how the transition might work for them. A farm is an ecosystem – and we want nature and the cattle to do the hard work.”
The sort of work being done at FAI Farms will allow best practice to be shared with beef farmers across the industry to ensure a ready supply of tasty McDonald’s beef burgers for years to come.
PASTURE,
For the quality of ingredients to remain as good as it is today, McDonald’s UK and Ireland is taking the lead to address farming challenges of cost and climate change. The goal of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is to achieve net zero by 2040, which is in line with McDonald’s targets across the UK business, as part of its Plan for Change, the business’s sustainability plan.
McDonald’s is also encouraging positive change in the industry, supporting farms to become more sustainable and ensuring the next generation of farmers is there to produce the foods that everyone enjoys on a McDonald’s menu.
To that end, McDonald’s invests in a number of projects.
It promotes sustainable farming through a relationship that spans over 20 years with FAI Farms and the growing Sustainable Beef Network. This was created by McDonald’s to encourage British and Irish beef farmers to share knowledge and to provide a forum for discussing key issues.
‘farming needs more young people to get involved’
