Trade

New Zealand commits to McDonald’s beef sustainability quest

Beef Central, 20/12/2014

Cattle New ZealandBeef + Lamb New Zealand has partnered with McDonald’s New Zealand to support the quick service restaurant company’s quest to serve sustainable beef to its customers.

Alongside meat processors Silver Fern Farms and ANZCO Foods, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and McDonald’s New Zealand have established two sustainable beef integration programmes to demonstrate the key principles of sustainable beef production.
McDonald’s has initiated the programme with Beef + Lamb New Zealand, ANZCO Foods and Silver Fern Farms as part of its aspiration to source verified sustainable beef around the world.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand chief executive, Dr Scott Champion said like McDonald’s, sustainability is a top priority for New Zealand beef and sheep farmers.
“New Zealand farmers take great care of their land, and pride in the quality products they deliver.
This sustainability programme will highlight a range of best practice activity, starting on the farm and following right through to the McDonald’s customer.
“The programme will work with farmers and processors to identify and develop good management practices that support sustainable beef production. This means sustainable production systems, lower inputs, use of new technologies and the highest levels of animal welfare.”
Champion said an important component of the programme was using real farm businesses to model the principles and then demonstrate success to the wider farming community through workshops, field days and social media.
McDonald’s New Zealand managing director, Patrick Wilson, said McDonald’s has committed to a goal of purchasing verified sustainable beef around the world, and that, locally, McDonald’s New Zealand would work towards achieving this goal through close collaboration with stakeholders such as Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Silver Fern Farms and ANZCO Foods.
“Beef is, without a doubt, our most iconic ingredient. In 2013 McDonald’s New Zealand sourced almost five million kilograms of beef from local suppliers, including more than 700,000 kilograms of Angus. Local producers also exported 32 million kilograms of beef to other McDonald’s markets around the world.”
Wilson said the Chicago-based McDonald’s Corporation has invested USD$50,000 in the New Zealand programme, and that learnings from the beef pilot would eventually be scaled out to other parts of the McDonald’s New Zealand supply chain.
The two sustainable beef integration programmes are being run on farms that supply beef to ANZCO Foods and Silver Fern Farms.
Source: Beef + Lamb New Zealand

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