Farmer Mark Green, from St Owen’s Cross, has won the McDonald’s Outstanding Farmer of the Year Award. Mark’s Herefordshire farm produces poultry and potatoes for McDonald’s.

Mark and his family have been supplying McDonald’s for 18 years and grow a range of crops including potatoes for McDonald’s iconic fries. They have also invested to rear chicken for the McDonald’s UK menu and have worked hard to fully integrate a range of renewable energy enterprises into their livestock and arable farming operation. Under-floor heating is used extensively in their chicken housing to ensure best in class performance for environmental efficiency and animal health.

His commitment to the local community involves diversifying to run two local pubs, keeping important facilities open to both locals and visitors.

Mark was up against two other farmers, David Dilks a dairy farmer based in Derbyshire and John Dobson, a sixth generation farmer, rearing Aberdeen Angus beef cattle in County Down. The winner was announced on Wednesday, July 11th, 2018, at the Great Yorkshire Show.

The award was first launched in 2015, and this is the fourth year McDonald’s is looking to celebrate progressive farmers throughout the UK and Ireland, who are demonstrating a creative and innovative approach to implementing the best in sustainable farming practice in their businesses.

Nominees for the award are selected from all corners of the McDonald’s agriculture supply chain across the UK and Ireland. These are then shortlisted by a committee of McDonald’s suppliers, with the final shortlist being judged on their best practice in all areas of sustainability, but also on their leadership and commitment to advancing knowledge exchange in the farming industry by a team at McDonald’s and FAI Farms.