Wool prices have dropped to 55c/kg to 60c/kg and the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association (ICSA) has called for the continuous decline of the industry to be addressed. ICSA sheep chair John Brooks said it made “no sense to sit back and watch an industry decline into oblivion”.

He said utilising wool was not only an economic issue, but that it could become an animal welfare one if farmers could not sustain the cost of shearing.

“This is a real vicious circle; the price achieved for wool is not covering the cost of shearing. Then, to add insult to injury, we see what should be considered a valuable and environmentally friendly raw material being dumped,” Brooks said.

Price crash

His comments come following a string of wool auctions at the Bradford wool sales that saw low prices, as well as low volumes of sales. Brooks said this pointed to “an impending price collapse” and that the sales were a key indicator of what Irish farmers could expect for their wool.

At last week’s auction, almost 1.5m kg of wool was offered, but just 50% was sold. According to the ICSA, standard sales would see 2m kg for sale with a clearance of 90%.

Brooks called for the establishment of a dedicated Irish wool forum to make a concerted effort to ensure wool reached its full potential. He said that while there were a number of businesses in Ireland already using wool they were only utilising a fraction annual production. There was “massive scope to do more”, he said.

Anti waste

Brooks concluded by saying: “The reality is the future should be bright for wool. At a time when policies in all sectors are moving towards anti waste positions, I see no reason why wool should be treated any differently. ICSA is calling for initiatives both at here at home and at EU level that would drive the industry forward. It is imperative on so many levels that this issue of such a wasted natural resource is addressed.”

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