Lister Lane’s legacy of helping Tasmanians

A third generation family farm at Scottsdale is quietly helping to feed many hungry Tasmanians.

Lister Lane has donated 25,000kg of onions since 2022 to Loaves and Fishes Tasmania for use in ready-to-eat meals and in bulk fresh produce deliveries throughout the State.

Leslie Bissett, who operates the farm with brother Graeme, said it was satisfying to be able to donate perfectly eating seconds to Loaves and Fishes instead of feeding the excess produce to stock.

“The onions we donate are too small to be able to sell to our usual suppliers,” Leslie said.

“It was my wife Lona who suggested we donate the excess to Loaves and Fishes, as we knew of CEO Andrew Hillier.”

Lister Farm is a 240ha property producing onions, poppies, potatoes, pyrethrum, carrots and wheat, as well as raising cattle and sheep.

Hubert Bissett started the farming enterprise the early 1930s, his son, Fred, and now his grandsons continuing to work the land.

Lister Lane is one of 70 farms and producers donating around 1 million kilograms of food annually to Loaves and Fishes.

Loaves and Fishes general manager, Aaron Kropf, said the organisation was thankful for the generosity of its many suppliers who were nourishing the State while sparing good food from landfill.

“Each year we receive the equivalent of $3 million worth of food in donations,” he said.

“In turn, this feeds up to 16,000 people a week or 832,000 people each year.”

By Paul O’Rourke