Demand for wool is currently on a high with global supply failing to satisfy demand. The final British Wool auction for the 2025 wool season clip held on 9 June 2026 witnessed prices rising by almost 10%.
The average greasy price, which is the price paid for sorted and packed but non-scoured wool, was £1.85/kg or the equivalent of €2.13/kg at Tuesday’s exchange rate of 86.5p to the euro. This is the highest level in over a decade with the recent lift in price demonstrated in Figure 1.
British Wool report that the sale was boosted by competitive bidding between UK processors and export customers resulting in a 99% clearance of 1,065t offered.
It states that the increase in the price has lifted the British Wool index ahead of the New Zealand benchmark, further reflecting the strength of the trade. Another feature which is said to have boosted the sale is the fact that it included several certified lots of organic wool which attracted a significant premium over equivalent grade non-organic certified wool.
Tight supplies
British Wool reports that it has just 280t of the 2025 season wool clip left to sell. This is likely to be offered in the first sale of the 2026 season clip on 21 July with supplies slow to build due to inclement weather and delayed shearing. The offering is expected to be in the region of just 1,000t which is well below the norm for the first sale of the season.
The tightness in supply has also ignited greater competition in the British market with wool merchants offering in the region of £1/kg (€1.15/kg) for wool. It is also creating more opportunities for sellers in Ireland with interest from British buyers and Chinese customers, the latter of which is facing greater competition in global markets from increased demand from customers in India.
Irish price
The majority of merchants in Ireland are now offering 70c/kg for lowland wool. There are reports of some higher priced deals for large sale volumes where there is a guarantee that wool is of good-quality, free from daggings / straw and has been packed clean and dry.
Scottish Blackface wool is being offered a price of 20c/kg for grey or black-type wool with white Scottish Blackface wool trading at a higher level of 30c/kg to 35c/kg and again the possibility of higher for large volumes.
SHARING OPTIONS