Farming industry chiefs welcome McDonald’s Progressive Young Farmers
NFU President Meurig Raymond and other industry chiefs helped launch McDonald’s 2015 Progressive Young Farmer programme at the Royal Welsh Show.
Raymond said, “It was good to meet three young farmers so excited about the future of the farming industry as we will always need enthusiastic and committed people to run the next generation of farm businesses.
“It’s great to see that through this year of practical experience into how food is produced, businesses like McDonald’s are backing British farming and NFU look forward to continuing our links in the future.”
Connor McVeigh, Director of Supply Chain, McDonald’s UK, said, “As a restaurant business passionate about serving great tasting food made with quality ingredients, we need the farming industry to thrive.”
“This means encouraging more young people from a range of backgrounds to consider a career in agriculture and helping them to develop the mix of skills needed to succeed in the sector today. The Progressive Young Farmer Programme is one of the ways we’re committed to using our scale to make this a reality.”
Katie Grantham a Progressive Young Farmer who will be following McDonald’s beef supply chain, said,“To succeed in the farming sector today, young people not only need practical farming skills, we also need to understand the latest technology and have strong business skills. That’s why what excites me most about this programme is the opportunity to learn these skills whilst following the full supply chain from field to front counter.”
To mark the first day of the programme, Raymond met the young women starting on the 12-month training programme with McDonald’s to discuss the importance of skills and training in farming.
He was joined by NFU Deputy President and Ladies in Beef co-founder, Minette Batters, and John Davies, Deputy President of NFU Cymru, who welcomed news that for the first time this year’s programme will include a placement at a progressive beef farm in Wales.
McDonald’s Progressive Young Farmer programme, now in its fourth year, is a training scheme that offers young people an opportunity to experience the entire farming and food supply chain.
Each student is mentored by one of the UK’s most progressive farmers and offered first-hand experience of practical farming and business management as they trace the supply chain of McDonald’s ingredients, from farms and processors to the restaurant front counter.
