The investment is part of a scheme launched in March 2018 which is part of Farm Forward, McDonald’s programme of support for the farming industry.
It aims to support the future of the industry and fund applications that are focused on raising animal welfare standards, providing economic benefits to the farmers’ business or making environmental improvements.
In its latest round of investment, the restaurant giant has announced £273,243 will go to 33 of Arla’s UK farmer owners.
One farmer, Mark Hornbuckle, who runs an 460 cow organic farm in Nottinghamshire, has received £8,010 in the latest grant allocations and will be using this to invest in ventilation systems and in additional calf jackets this winter, plus some rubber matting and water troughs.
Alice Willett, Agriculture Consultant at McDonald’s UK, said the company is ‘impressed’ with how ‘ambitious’ the dairy cooperative’s farmers are in ‘driving forward standards’.
“Whilst Arla supplies organic milk to McDonald’s, we recognise that as a supplier working with a farmer owned co-operative we have an opportunity to help the wider group farmers continually invest in their businesses and this scheme is a reflection of that.”
Graham Wilkinson, Agriculture Director at Arla UK added: “In making funding available to our farmer owners in key areas such as animal welfare, economic benefit and environmental improvements, it shows that a collaborative supply chain drives forward industry leading standards for UK dairy farming.”