The farmers, drivers and processing staff connected to Maleny Dairies have been working hard to keep the milk supply chain working, despite the cyclones and floods in Queensland.
“We’ve had a few tough weeks,” Stephen Tait, CEO of Maleny Dairies at Gympie, said.
“All the farmers around us, around Gympie and the Hinterland, have lost cows, fodder, infrastructure, and their businesses have been hit hard,” he said.
“The weather affects cows’ production and welfare.
“We’re doing everything we can to help these farmers get back on their feet and keep producing milk.
“Our responsibility is to collect their milk and get it out to customers, so our farmers have an income.”
Decision making has included liaising with Queensland Police and State Emergency Services about the logistics of which roads are open and usable, watching the weather forecasts, and relying on a cohort of local drivers who know the region well.
"Sometimes it’s meant finding new ways to collect milk, while keeping our staff safe,“ Mr Tait said.
“That may mean taking a route that’s up to three times longer and changing our production schedules.
“We have a very experienced and knowledgeable team of drivers. They alleviated the stress of farmers who were assured their milk would be picked up.”
When the owners of Maleny Dairies realised there was a shortfall of processed milk products coming from northern NSW, the company donated the products to aged care homes.
"Particularly in aged care homes, dairy products are a staple for people to get their calcium and protein. You cannot not deliver dairy to aged care homes,” Mr Tait said.
“Our concern was they were the most vulnerable in our community. We made an arbitrary decision that the aged care sector was one we needed to support.”
He said it was a short-lived but necessary gesture, until the usual suppliers were able to provide milk and other dairy products.
Maleny Dairies, owned by Ross and Sally Harper, is supplied by 10 farms and supports the employment of a large number of people in the Gympie region — on dairy farms, in the processing facility and in supporting roles.