McDonald’s launches campaign to increase diversity within the farming industry

British and Irish farming has seen huge upheaval in recent years. From weathering the Covid-19 pandemic to navigating the transition away from EU payments, our agricultural sector has adapted quickly to meet the myriad of challenges facing the industry. As global gas, fuel and grain costs continue to rise, farmers are now also facing record levels of inflation affecting key inputs to the food production process, such as fertiliser.

But as we look to the future, this is a sector with big ambitions. Emerging technologies are powering global transformations in data and connectivity across supply chains. Innovation is helping make progress toward net zero, all while protecting and restoring our natural environment. Plans to grow UK food and agricultural exports by 30 per cent by 2030 will ensure more of Britain’s high-quality food is enjoyed across the world.

All this means there is a real opportunity for the British and Irish agriculture industry to become world-leading. But to succeed, it is crucial that the sector secures a future pipeline of talent.

It might be a surprise to learn that in the UK, the average age of a farmer is 59, and more than a third of farmers are aged over 65. For a sector that contributes more than £11 billion to the UK economy and provides more than half of our nation’s food, this is a cause for concern as we look to the future.

It is essential that we attract more young people into farming, bringing the energy, innovation, fresh thinking and skills that will set the industry up to succeed for years to come.

Crucially, the farmers of today recognise this need. We recently conducted a survey, with Opinium, of farmers across the UK to understand their concerns for the future and their responses confirmed the need for action now. More than three-quarters surveyed believe there is a significant skills shortage in their industry, and more than half said that their farms are failing to find the talent they need.

It’s an issue that we at McDonald’s care passionately about. We are proud of our long history of supporting agriculture in the UK, and we know first-hand the challenges our farmers and suppliers face. Today, our direct spend with UK suppliers is over £1 billion each year, and we wouldn’t be able to serve our customers the food they love without the quality, sustainable ingredients that we source from more than 23,000 British and Irish farmers.

To find out more about how to attract future talent to food and farming, we also surveyed over 1,000 young people in the UK aged between 15 and 25 to understand their views of the industry. Our research showed that 60 per cent aren’t even considering a career in agriculture due to negative perceptions, with many thinking they do not have the right skills or would not gain job satisfaction, while 64 per cent said they see a lack of role models in the industry as a key barrier to entry.

We want to change this. At McDonald’s, our Progressive Young Farmer programme has been helping young people to enter the industry for over ten years. More than 50 young people have spent a year tracing every step of our supply chain. Mentored by a host farmer and a supplier, each participant is able to develop in-depth experience in sectors such as beef, pork, potatoes or fresh produce, as well as the business skills they need to succeed.

But we know we need to go further. That’s why we are committing to kick-starting more than 100 careers in food and farming for young people from diverse backgrounds, by 2030, through our McDonald’s Young Talent programme. Two new 12-month pilot programmes are a first step in this mission, with the McDonald’s Root2Food programme giving young people from non-traditional farming backgrounds experience in the industry and a new restaurant placement programme giving McDonald’s crew the opportunity to work across our supply chain.

At McDonald’s, our long-term partnerships with British and Irish farmers are our most essential ingredient. Securing the agriculture industry’s future means securing our future as well and that’s why our business is so passionate about inspiring the next generation of farming talent.

I believe if we can continue to work together, alongside government and industry, to show the huge positives a role in this sector provides, we can go a long way to securing the young, diverse talent required to set the industry up for a world-leading future.

McDonald’s Progressive Young Farmer programme

This year, McDonald’s celebrates ten years of its Progressive Young Farmer programme.

The programme is open to all undergraduate students, regardless of their level of practical farming experience.

Throughout the 12-month placement, young people undertake projects to better understand technical efficiency and sustainability, trace every step of the McDonald’s supply chain – from farm to front counter – and get the opportunity to work with several suppliers, farmers, and stakeholders around the country.

Participants are also mentored by a host farmer as well as some of the UK’s leading food supply chain companies, giving an insight into the breadth of opportunities they can go after in the industry.

McDonald’s Farm Forward programme

In 2012, McDonald’s created its agriculture programme, Farm Forward, after consulting with more than 1,500 UK farmers.

As part of the programme, McDonald’s has helped to boost skills and standards across British and Irish agriculture, working in partnership with its suppliers, aiming to:

• Support resilient farming
• Raise animal welfare standards
• Increase sustainability in agriculture

Last year, McDonald’s UK&I published its Plan for Change, setting out its strategy to lead positive change across its business, including its aim to reach net zero by 2040 and pledge, by 2024, to work with its suppliers to advance social inclusion through a mutual DE&I commitment.

It also updated its Farm Forward programme to include a new Sustainable Beef Network, for beef farmers to share knowledge and learn from industry experts and launched its most recent project with FAI Farms to define the benefits of applying regenerative principles to beef farming, which is expected to deliver better soil health and increase the removal and storage of carbon.