Beef farmers

100% of our fresh beef and chilled prepared meals containing beef are British, sourced from farms in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Animal Welfare

When it comes to beef, so much can affect the flavour and texture of the meat, which is why all the farms we work with have to meet strict standards.

All our beef farmers are accredited to a national farm assurance scheme, such as Red Tractor, which ensures high standards of animal welfare. These schemes cover aspects such as the housing of animals and stocking densities, feed and water, health and veterinary controls, breeding, traceability and transportation.

The mainstay of British beef is grass-based production and grass makes up the majority of an animal’s diet over its lifetime. A particular focus of ours is looking at how farmers manage their pastures for both the animal and the environment and because we are 100% British, we have no global beef supply.

Find out more about our animal welfare standards.

The Co-op Beef and Lamb Group

The Co-op Beef and Lamb Group was set up in 2013 to forge stronger relationships with its network of suppliers. Members of the group receive a premium for meeting additional requirements above the standard health and quality and brand requirements; these include sustainability, environmental, ethical, and training standards.

In November 2023, we announced a major reset for the Beef and Lamb Farming Group by welcoming new members and setting out a recharged events programme. A 12-month rolling engagement programme will provide a touch point for members to discuss challenges facing the agriculture industry and share best practice throughout the next year.

Gareth & Corrie Ward, who recently joined the Co-op Beef and Lamb Group, said:

“We thoroughly enjoyed the recent Co-op beef and lamb group meeting. We found it very informative regarding food sourcing, understanding the market and Co-op's core values. It was also an excellent opportunity to meet other forward thinking like-minded farmers, who we were able to share ideas and advice. Co-op is such a community focused and environmentally aware business; we feel proud to be members of their beef farming group and look forward to working together to support sustainable agricultural practice.”

Find out more about our Beef and Lamb Group

Fully traceable beef

Our farmers are passionate about the beef they produce and together we go to great lengths to ensure the highest quality. To tackle cross-contamination in our Irresistible range, we have a rigorous authenticity programme which includes carcass DNA swabbing.

Our dedicated food technical and agricultural teams regularly carry out audits in abattoirs and processing sites. We keep detailed traceability records and have developed close relationships with our farmers and beef suppliers, so we know we are providing you with 100% British beef.

The Environment

Our farmers pride themselves on reducing their environmental impact. Through our Beef and Lamb Group meetings we will continually look at ways of lowering our group members’ carbon footprint and improving their on-farm biodiversity.