Like many people during the noughties, farmer Humphrey Wells saw the myths about McDonald’s – about how the patties weren’t made with 100% beef or that they contained nasty stuff – and it left him unsure what to believe. “I assumed McDonald’s was just another fast-food chain,” he says.
Then he started working with the company and found the high-quality of the end patty surprised him. Today, Wells – who runs his wife Rhiannon’s family farm alongside her – has a much fuller picture. “I’m really impressed with the quality – it really is just British or Irish beef.”
The Wells’ farm near Hay-on-Wye, Wales, is one of thousands of farms in the UK and Ireland that supply McDonald’s, with all farms approved by farm assurance schemes in the UK and Ireland.
When the auditors visit, Wells admits their requirements make him feel a little nervous as the farm assurance schemes have a wide range of welfare and traceability standards.
The auditors inspect the whole farm every 12-18 months, looking not only at the animals and their physical health, but also at the paperwork and record-keeping. The traceability standards are incredibly robust, “and we’re proud to adhere to them", says Wells.
Wells – who refers to his 300 cattle as “extended family” – is currently working on an “adaptive multi-paddock” grazing project with McDonald’s, which results in improved soil health, plus better nutrition for the cows.
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