McDonald's is committed to environmentally and ecologically sustainable systems of food production that will, over the long term:

• protect the environment from the pollution of air, soil or water, production of greenhouse gas emissions, or the destruction of natural habitats,
  
  
• preserve the natural resource base through efficient use of fossil fuels,
  
  
• promote the use of renewable energy sources, natural biological cycles and organic fertilisers,
  
  
• maintain biodiversity through the preservation of natural ecosystems, and
  
  
• promote farming practices that preserve rural landscapes.

McDonald’s wants to encourage a sustainable, flexible and competitive agricultural industry that contributes to an economically viable rural society. We believe that this can be achieved through:

• the use of comprehensive farm management systems that combine profitability and lowered environmental impact,
  
  
• adherence to credible and transparent crop and livestock assurance programmes that are audited and externally verified,
  
  
• production systems that conform to local and EU legislation relating to employee wages and benefits, occupational health and safety and labour and human rights, and
  
  
• production systems that benefit agricultural communities by boosting producer incomes, expanding employment and educational opportunities and enhancing local infrastructure and public services.

McDonald’s objectives with regard to animal welfare are:

• to ensure that all animals involved or affected by the production of our products are treated humanely throughout their lives, according to their species’ specific needs,
  
  
• to ensure that suppliers meet or exceed relevant national and EU legislation,
  
  
• to encourage all levels of the supply chain to continuously improve animal welfare through the exploration and implementation of advances in animal welfare science, rearing and husbandry, and
  
  
• to promote the positive welfare of animals by having regard to and providing for their needs in accordance with the scientifically based Five Freedoms:
  
  
  • Freedom from hunger and thirst - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain their full health and vigour
  • Freedom from discomfort - by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area
  • Freedom from pain, injury or disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment
  • Freedom to express normal behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animals own kind
  • Freedom from fear and distress - by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

McDonalds has the following objectives relating to animal nutrition and the use of medicines in animals:

• to allow animals to maintain their own health by providing for their nutritional, physical and behavioural needs, thereby reducing the need to use medicines to prevent and treat disease,
  
  
• to feed animals with safe, nutritious feedstuffs of known and documented constituency and origin,
  
  
• to observe national and EU legislation and guidelines for the proper production of feedstuffs,
  
  
• to ensure full traceability of all feed stuffs provided for animals,
  
  
• to promote the responsible and transparent use of animal medicines through the implementation and documentation of detailed veterinary health plans on farms,
  
  
• to follow national and EU law and guidelines for the safe and responsible use of medicines, and
  
  
• to use the experience of independent advisors, in order to include new findings, and prevent health problems.

McDonald’s wants to have a consistently high quality of products available to its customers. To ensure this we aim to:

• be able to trace all raw materials used in McDonald’s products back to the farm of origin,
  
  
• have information available relating to the medicines used, feed given and genetic origin of animals on the farm and the pesticides and fertilisers used on all crops in addition to their genetic origin, and,
  
  
• verify traceability through audit and inspection.

McDonald’s practice on the use of genetics in the production of food is to:

• not support those breeding techniques for plant and animals which will negatively affect the environment or result in poor animal welfare or which will alter the essential nature and characteristics of an animal,
  
  
• accept the advice and guidance of scientific experts and regulatory bodies in relation to biotechnology and genetic engineering and their possible applications in agriculture,
  
  
• listen to customer expectations and concerns regarding the use of genetically modified organisms, and
  
  
• support the responsible use of accepted new technologies and innovations.