Royal Highland Show: We're loving it – McDonald's farming boost

Published on Thursday 24 June 2010 22:09

A LINK-UP between the world-famous McDonald's restaurant business and a number of leading agricultural firms should ensure Scotland takes advantage of the increased demand for British beef.

Currently, about 200,000 bull calves from the dairy industry are slaughtered at birth because they are not considered to be a viable option for the beef industry, but under the new deal, announced at the Highland Show yesterday, these will be contract reared and fattened, with McDonald's as the customer.

Speaking exclusively to The Scotsman, Thomas Kelly, vice-president of McDonald's UK, said beef was at the heart of his company's menu and this pilot project was a way of assuring customers they were getting high-quality, locally sourced beef.

"At the same time, this deal supports Scottish agriculture," he said.

The fast-food sector has been going through difficult times in recent years, but McDonald's has been continuing to expand. Last year, it bought some 13 million worth of Scottish beef, all of it forequarter or flank meat for mincing. This is a 30 per cent increase on the amount needed only four years previously, with some 50 per cent coming from the beef sector and the other half from the dairy industry.

The beef will all be processed through Scotbeef Bridge of Allan or Highland Meats, with the former being an official partner in the project.

First Milk, the UK's largest farmer-owned, milk-buying co-operative, is also supporting the project, with its sales director, Willie Cuthbertson, saying: "The beef supply scheme will enable our farmers to generate much-needed financial benefits from calves that are otherwise a surplus cost to their dairy businesses."

Animal feed supplier Harbro is also linked to the project.