| On Topic
Farmers ploughing
funds into animal
welfare in 2018
40% of livestock farmers plan to invest further in animal welfare in the next year. Study marks the launch of new
capital grant scheme from McDonald’s offering farmers grants of up to £10,000 to drive innovation in animal welfare
on their farms.
ew research reveals that UK
farmers are planning to invest
more in animal welfare than any
other aspect of their farm
business in 2018. This comes
as McDonald’s UK unveils a
half million-pound capital grant scheme to help
dairy farmers deliver animal welfare initiatives.
The latest Farm Forward Barometer – part of
an ongoing programme of research
commissioned by McDonald’s UK and
conducted by the National Farm Research Unit
– found 40% of livestock farmers plan to invest
in animal welfare over the next 12 months. This
makes it the single biggest focus of investment,
ahead of spending on infrastructure (37%) and
working capital (30%). The research also
showed that 88% of farmers are already
accredited by a farm assurance scheme and, of
those remaining, 20% are working to gain
accreditation this year.
Asked why they are increasing their
investment in animal welfare, beyond improving
animal health, 88% believe that high welfare
standards are vital to making UK farming
globally competitive and 59% said they had
seen an increased demand for higher welfare
products over the last five years from food
companies, retailers and end consumers.
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The study also revealed a strong sense of
personal responsibility amongst these farmers.
Almost two thirds (64%) of respondents said
they think individual farmers are responsible for
driving animal welfare standards in the UK
farming industry, followed by the government
(44%), food companies and retailers (39%) and
consumers (34%).
Mike Tizzard, a McDonald’s flagship dairy
farmer, said: “Animal welfare has always been a
top priority for us, but now we are investing
more than ever in preventative measures to
safeguard the health and wellbeing of the herd
– from redesigning our cow tracks and
collecting yard for optimum comfort, to ongoing
monitoring of health and performance data so
we can spot problems early. Put simply, happy
and healthy cows mean happy staff, high
quality standards, and improved productivity”
However, the research also highlighted
serious challenges that farmers face when it
comes to driving higher welfare standards. 70%
cited high production costs, 53% said they had
difficulties raising the funds themselves and
54% said they struggled to get outside funding.
To help overcome some of these challenges
McDonald’s has just launched its first ever
capital grant scheme to help UK dairy farmers
wanting to invest in animal welfare. Developed
in partnership with Arla Foods, a dairy
cooperative, the scheme is making £500,000
available to UK dairy farmers who work with
Arla this year. Successful applicants will be
awarded a grant of up to £10,000 each to fund
innovation in animal welfare on their farm. The
grant will be offered as part of Farm Forward,
McDonald’s long-term programme of support
for the UK farming industry.
Connor McVeigh, Supply Chain Director,
McDonald’s UK, said:
“UK farmers have always been front-footed
when it comes to animal welfare but, as this
research shows, they continue to invest and
innovate. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to
serve the responsibly sourced food our
customers want and expect, from the organic
milk we use across our coffee menu and in our
Happy Meals to the free-range eggs in our
breakfast items.
We want to work hand in hand with farmers
to make sure the industry continues to thrive.
That’s why, as part of our Farm Forward
programme, we are investing half a million
pounds this year to support farmers who are
driving innovation in animal welfare on their
farms. It’s just one of the ways we are doing our
part to support this dynamic and evolving
industry.”
April 2018 | Farming Monthly | 11