Our burgers are made from 100% British and Irish beef, and we’re proud to work with over 20,000 farmers who are all approved by nationally recognised farm assurance schemes, such as Red Tractor or Bord Bia.

We launched our Farm Forward programme in 2012 and partner with suppliers and experts to help British and Irish farmers to become more sustainable, resilient, and to protect animal welfare. In recent years we have evolved the programme to invest in the farming industry through research, education and training.

We continue to fund innovative carbon reduction pilots on beef farms in the UK and Ireland. This includes the Pathway to Net Zero project at Brongain farm in Wales, where Greg and Rowan Pickstock are aiming to produce net zero beef using commercially viable methods by 2030. Key focus areas are grassland management, livestock health and genetics. This project is supported by McDonald’s UK & Ireland and OSI Europe and developed by Promar International.

We are also a founding member of the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability, working with farmers and industry experts to develop targets that monitor and drive progress on the health and welfare of cattle and support the farmers that rear them.

Driving innovation through research

As a founding partner of FAI Farms, we have conducted independent research for over twenty years to develop and create sustainable farming practices for the food industry. In February 2020, we launched the Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing Project to demonstrate the benefits of applying regenerative principles to beef farming through adaptive multi-paddock grazing for beef cattle. We anticipate that this approach will deliver environmental benefits, including improved soil health, a greater diversity of wildlife and species, and an increase in the removal and storage of carbon.

In 2023, we launched a project involving 11 beef farms, covering approximately 7,500 acres and over 3,500 cattle in England and Wales, to share best practices in regenerative grazing, building on our AMP Grazing Project with FAI. This project will measure the impact of applying regenerative principles on nature, soil, biodiversity, water, carbon sequestration and climate resilience.

In 2021 we were awarded the Sustainable Food and Farming Award by Compassion in World Farming for the pioneering regenerative beef project with AMP. 

Learn more about this project in this short film.

Logo for The Royal Countryside Fund

The Royal Countryside Fund

McDonald’s UK & Ireland have been proud to work with The Royal Countryside Fund, a charity founded by HM King Charles III (when The Prince of Wales) in 2010, to provide life-changing business and environmental skills training to over 500 farming families across the UK since 2020. The Ready for Change and Savings in Soil programmes form an important part of The Royal Countryside Fund’s commitment to improving the economic resilience of farming families. 

McDonald’s has also worked closely with The Royal Countryside Fund to produce two practical guides on the environment and regenerative grazing, A-Zero and The Great Grazing Guide. These guides, which are written in plain English and provide practical tips that farming families can action on their farm, have been accessed by over 75,000 farmers. 

Beef farming carbon report 

We commissioned an independent study to look at ways to reduce carbon emissions on over 200 British and Irish beef farms. By focusing on factors like daily liveweight gains, improving animal health and maximising home-grown feed, farmers reduced their carbon footprint by nearly 23% over a six-year period and identified potential annual savings of up to £23,000.

Memberships and Forums

Logo for European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability.

ERBS

Logo for Red Tractor Certified Standards.

Red Tractor

Logo for Board Bia Quality Assurance Scheme.

Bord Bia

Logo for The Royal Countryside Fund.

The Royal Countryside Fund Partnership

Logo for UK Cattle Sustainability Platform.

UK Cattle Sustainability Platform

Influencing industry change

We were founding members of the recognised industry forums UK Cattle Sustainability Platform and the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability (ERBS), which are helping to shape beef sustainability in Europe. 

And we will continue to work pro-actively to contribute to the development of farm standards including Red Tractor in the UK and the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme in Ireland.

We also report against McDonald’s global goals for beef sustainability.

Order McDelivery® through our app to earn Rewards Points

Select a delivery partner to continue
Choose our app or one of our McDelivery® partners.
Just letting you know that you’re leaving the McDonald’s UK website now. We’re not responsible for the policies and practices of other companies, so we always recommend that you have a look at the privacy policy and other policies of any website you visit, as they might be different from ours.