Dawn Meats and McDonald’s launch new €4.4 million incentivised sustainability programme for Irish beef farmers

Dawn Meats has today announced the launch of a new incentivised sustainability programme for Irish beef farmers, which is being supported and co-funded by McDonald’s UK & Ireland.

The ACTIVATE initiative involves a total investment of €4.4 million over three years and will provide payments to participating farmers for successfully implementing agreed sustainability plans and reducing emissions.

The programme, which is the first of its kind in Ireland, has been created to accelerate the adoption of cost effective on-farm sustainability practices and will involve both online and practical training for famers to support them in achieving their emissions reduction targets.

Progress will be assessed annually and ACTIVATE members will be compensated through a “sustainability dividend” for their engagement, active collaboration and successful delivery of target outcomes.

McDonald’s, the leading global foodservice retailer, will co-sponsor the programme while the initiative will also be supported by Bord Bia, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Teagasc.

So far, 50 farmers, who are suppliers of Dawn Meats, have signed up to participate in the programme and have already completed farm sustainability plans. A second phase of recruitment is now ongoing, and the target is for up to 200 farmers to have joined the programme in its first year.

The initiative aligns with Dawn Meats’ Plan Four Zero and McDonald’s Plan for Change sustainability strategies and also aligns with the Irish government’s objective to achieve a 25% absolute reduction in agricultural emissions by 2030.

The ACTIVATE programme will seek to encourage participating farmers to accelerate the adoption of science-based solutions, to mitigate biodiversity loss, enhance soil health, and combat global warming.

Farmers will be provided with the tools required to implement sustainability plans including access to an array of resources, from online and practical training to in-person events and knowledge transfer workshops.

Dawn Meats and Teagasc representatives will share their expertise in sustainable farming practices and the use of on-line sustainability tools in addition to offering one-on-one support to farmers. Training modules will be delivered through the on-line Bord Bia learning platform.

Participating farmers will also be required to sign up to the Teagasc Signpost sustainability programme and to complete the Bord Bia sustainability survey annually, which will assist in calculating their on-farm emissions performance.

Farm performance data will be monitored and reported through AgNav, a sustainability support framework run by Bord Bia, Teagasc and ICBF. Herdwatch will provide farmers with herd management software funded by Dawn Meats, and act as a project partner to streamline data collection.

The value of the ACTIVATE payments and technical supports participating famers can expect to receive, will be between €4,000 and €8,000 a year depending on factors such as the number of animals per farm, qualifying grades and the level of emissions reductions.

Dawn Meats will extend the ACTIVATE programme beyond the initial three-year timeframe with continued support from existing and future ACTIVATE partners. Given the level of broader customer interest it is expected there will be scope to scale up the programme to increase the number of farmers involved.

Niall Browne, CEO, Dawn Meats said: “We are excited to launch our ACTIVATE farm sustainability programme in partnership with McDonald’s. This is a key sustainability initiative for Dawn Meats, and it marks a major step forward in our ongoing efforts to reach our emissions targets. At Dawn Meats, we recognise that our future relies upon the health of our natural world and the wellbeing of our communities. Sustainability has been central to our business plan for over 40 years and this is why we are helping farmers to set ambitious targets and incentivising them to achieve verified results.

“By working closely with the farmers that supply us, we will be helping them to farm more sustainably while reducing our Scope 3 emissions. This is a win-win situation for us, for farmers and for our valued customers, who share our commitment to achieve Net Zero”.

Laura Henderson, Vice-President UK & Ireland Supply Chain, McDonald’s said: “As one of the biggest supporters of Irish agriculture, we are delighted to co-sponsor this innovative programme alongside our long-term supplier partner, Dawn Meats. The programme presents a real opportunity to explore the ways in which we can futureproof the industry and drive more resilient production to ensure our future beef supply contributes to a sustainable food system where people, local communities, animals and the planet can thrive.

“As a business, we have set ourselves ambitious climate targets as part of our Plan for Change strategy. Our scope 3 emissions present the biggest challenge, not just to our business but to the entire agriculture industry, and we can only achieve these targets through close collaboration across the supply chain, ensuring the right levels of practical support are in place to deliver positive change. By partnering with our suppliers and industry partners on programmes like ACTIVATE, we hope to ensure that our customers can continue to have feel good moments when enjoying our famous beef burgers.”

Jim O’ Toole, Chief Executive Officer of Bord Bia said: “Bord Bia is delighted to support McDonald’s and Dawn Meats on the ACTIVATE initiative, enabling farmers to improve their sustainability performance and achieve their emission reduction targets. Together with our partners, Teagasc and ICBF, Bord Bia wants the AgNav platform to become the primary sustainability support tool for Irish farms. AgNav will provide participating farmers with environmental performance data, empowering them to take the most appropriate actions for their farm and play their part in climate action. It is extremely encouraging to see a leading company such as McDonald’s making a clear commitment towards the global climate agenda and achieving carbon neutrality. The targets outlined in ACTIVATE will not only help McDonald’s achieve its Net Zero targets but will also have a positive impact on the Irish agricultural sector and environment, in line with targets set out in the Climate Action Bill”.

Photo caption: Jim O’ Toole, Chief Executive Officer of Bord Bia, Alistair Macrow, Chief Executive Officer of McDonald's UK & Ireland, Laura Henderson, Vice-President UK & Ireland Supply Chain of McDonald’s, John Phelan, ACTIVATE farmer and Niall Browne, Chief Executive Officer of Dawn Meats at the launch of the ACTIVATE sustainability programme