Beef producers donate to help feed residents doing it tough

Meandarra family beef brand Four Daughters has donated almost 20kg of beef to feed those doing it tough in Toowoomba during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bonnie and Matilda Penfold and Nat Spary with the Four Daughters donation of meat to The Base Services. Picture: Bev Lacey

MEANDARRA beef producers, Four Daughters Premium Black Angus, have made a donation straight from the heart to help put food on the table for those doing it tough during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dan and Karen Penfold, along with daughters Bonnie, Molly, Jemima and Matilda, of Four Daughters donated almost 20kg of beef to Base Services this week that will help to make about 130 meals for those in need.

Bonnie Penfold said the family wanted to do their part during these tough times to give back to the wider regional community.

“In everyone’s life we all go through struggles and patches of hardship, so at the moment, while we are still able to keep moving forward within our business and keep producing beef, it’s really great to be able to support those who are going through their patch of hardship,” she said.

“We all know what that hardship and struggle is like because we’ve all gone through pieces of that, albeit probably not in the same way, so it’s great to be able to help when you can.”

The Base Services’ Basements Soup Kitchen in Toowoomba operates weekdays, providing free meals to more than 100 people doing it tough each day. Base Services co-ordinator, Nat Spary said they had experienced an increase in people asking for assistance since the virus hit the regions, as well as a new demand for takeaway meals and deliveries to those self-isolating.

“We’ve made so many different changes in the last couple of weeks to help those in need, people who are facing difficult circumstances like homelessness and we are struggling right now because the extra things we need to buy are chewing up our budget,” he said. “The Four Daughters donating this amount of meat will help with our takeaway packs and help people to have a meal.”

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise’s Food Leaders Australia general manager Bruce McConnel said it was good to see producers giving back to the community in a tough time.

“I just want to thank the Four Daughters for what they have contributed. It’s the great Australian spirit to help others,” he said.

“Here in our region at the moment our food and agricultural businesses are still doing okay, they’re still able to employ people, keep people safe and put food on the table.

“Seeing the Four Daughters supply meat into the soup kitchen is absolutely fantastic and shows the food and agribusiness sector is standing up in a time of need, even straight after a drought when they’re still recovering themselves, and they’re giving to the community at this time.”

Mr McConnel said food and agribusinesses have remained relatively secure so far throughout the coronavirus pandemic with demand pressures and radical changes in export markets the biggest challenges.

“At the moment food and agribusinesses are doing okay. It is a challenging environment as they constantly adapt to new demand pressures,” he said.

“Due to panic buying in supermarkets and the African Swine Fever causing a world shortage of protein at the moment, there is still good economic growth happening within the food and agribusiness sector.”

Mr McConnel said export markets had changed radically over the past four months as a result of the virus.

“We’ve gone from high-end value products going into restaurants to now much more into home delivery so, yes, there’s still opportunities for food and agribusinesses but they’ve had to pivot much more into home delivery means rather than restaurant ends,” he said.

“We’re still seeing high-end seafood struggle and things like lobster that would go straight to restaurants but the beef, pork and chicken industries that our region is well known for are actually doing okay despite having to change their businesses significantly to home delivery.”

Exporting primarily to Wuhan, China, at the epicentre of the virus outbreak, the Four Daughters have had to adapt their export market during the pandemic, working with Tim Burgess of Bow Creek Food and Agribusiness to explore opportunities in Hong Kong, as well as trialling the domestic sale of mixed beef boxes in addition to their existing rump sales.

“We have had to adapt within our export markets, which has been really good and it’s sort of learning on the run, but at the moment we’re looking at different export opportunities, different ways to get rid of the beef we already have, adapting to try to make new plans,” Bonnie said.

“We always have delivered our rumps to customers from Brisbane, Toowoomba and surrounds, so with that our home delivery part has stopped but we’re still able to have a pick-up and drop-off location in Brisbane and Toowoomba and every town from here to home, which has been really good.

“Looking forward, due to changes in export opportunities, we’re having to sell mixed beef boxes into Australia domestically so that’s an avenue we’re looking into.

“We’re doing trial runs now so hopefully people can access some mixed beef boxes soon.”