Both initiatives show McDonald’s ongoing commitment to supporting their farmers and suppliers.
The NFU continues to work and engage with McDonald's and welcomes both new schemes, and their commitment to British farmers and growers.
Nina Prichard, Head of Sustainable and Ethical Sourcing at McDonald’s UK and Ireland said: “We have a long heritage in supporting farmers as part of our ongoing commitment to continuously improving our supply chain. We couldn’t serve the food we’re famous for without the support and hard work of over 23,000 British and Irish farmers who supply us.
“It’s for that reason that we’re committed to working in partnership with the British and Irish farming industry. These two new initiatives are an essential next step in that mission, helping both our suppliers and the industry look to tomorrow.
"The Sustainable MacFries Fund in partnership with McCain will provide much-needed funding to boost the resilience and sustainability of British potato growers, while the Ready for Change workshops will help livestock farmers face a fast-changing future.
“I’m proud of McDonald’s long history in supporting the future of farming. We will continue to work with our farmers and suppliers to innovate, supporting both the future of their businesses and the sustainability of our supply chain.”
What is the Sustainable MacFries Fund?
McDonald's is working with McCains to launch of the Sustainable MacFries Fund which aims to increase the resilience of their UK potato supply base by enabling growers to use new technology to improve the understanding of soil quality and optimise water management. McDonald’s and McCains will provide £1 million in grants to British potato growers who produce the varieties that make MacFries.
Ready for Change Workshops
Within a 3-year partnership with the Prince’s Countryside Fund, McDonald's is launching Ready for Change Workshops to support livestock farmers in making informed decisions about change management on family farms.
The scheme follows research by McDonald’s and the Fund, which found that 71% of farmers want to make changes to their business over the next five years but lack the confidence to do so.
McDonald’s has also been celebrating the importance of their farmers through their social media channels and have recently launched ‘Map My McDonald’s’, a new interactive tool plotting some of the local, fresh ingredients that can be found in their region, as well as some of the farmers that supply them. The tool will allow customers will be able to learn all about the local footprint of the McDonald’s menu through the map. Click here to view Map My McDonald’s.
More from NFUonline:
- Find out more about the NFU's work on net zero
- Horticulture and Potatoes news
- Discounted GSCOP training for NFU members
