As a founding partner of FAI Farms, we have conducted independent research for over twenty years to develop and create sustainable farming practices for the food industry. In February 2020, we launched the Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing Project to demonstrate the benefits of applying regenerative principles to beef farming through adaptive multi-paddock grazing for beef cattle. We anticipate that this approach will help to deliver environmental benefits, including improved soil health, a greater diversity of wildlife and species, and an increase in the removal and storage of carbon.

In 2021 we were awarded the Sustainable Food and Farming Award by Compassion in World Farming for this pioneering regenerative beef project. 

Throughout 2024, we continued to support a project involving 11 beef farms, covering approximately 7,500 acres and over 3,500 cattle in England and Wales, to share best practices in regenerative grazing, building on our Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing Project with FAI. This project will measure the impact of applying regenerative principles on nature, soil, biodiversity, water, carbon sequestration and climate resilience.

Learn more about this project in this short film.

McDonald’s UK & Ireland have been proud to work with The Royal Countryside Fund, a charity founded by HM King Charles III (when The Prince of Wales) in 2016, to provide life-changing business and environmental skills training to over 500 farming families across the UK since 2020. The Ready for Change and Savings in Soil programmes form an important part of The Royal Countryside Fund’s commitment to improving the economic resilience of farming families.

McDonald’s has also worked closely with The Royal Countryside Fund to produce two practical guides on the environment and regenerative grazing, A-Zero and The Great Grazing Guide. These guides, which are written in plain English and provide practical tips that farming families can action on their farm, have been accessed by over 75,000 farmers.