Copyright farmersweekly
Reading Time: 2 minutes There are times I get excited about strong wool and its future and times that I become despondent. The recent announcement of the getting together of the various wool groups falls into the latter category. The statement telling us of the “aligning” of forces between Campaign for Wool, Wool Impact, the Wool Research Organisation and Beef + Lamb NZ. It will, we are told, “enable wool’s economic stability and growth while safeguarding lasting capability for the sector”. There’s a nine-member steering group formed with an independent chair. While I am passionate about wool and its future I remain unconvinced that a nine-member steering committee can achieve a lot. Yes, it is good that the organisations won’t be competing for the same funds but on the other hand I remain unconvinced that it will generate anything positive. In a statement they told me that “implementation of an enduring model for NZ strong wool is expected in 2026 following extensive consultation with industry partners, testing and refinement”. I’ve heard that all before, going back to the blind excesses of the old NZ Wool Board. It was depressing. I do, however, have a feeling of optimism and that revolves around the minister responsible, Mark Patterson, who is passionate about wool and capable of driving change. He tells me there are three main strings to his strategy. The first is industry good in the form of the Wool Alliance. In addition there are promotion, skills training and education and research and development (R&D). His second priority is to sort out the inefficiencies in the supply chain, and encourage the relevant parties to get to the consumer in the most efficient manner. He points out that the current convoluted supply chain is costing farmers and has little transparency. I wholeheartedly agree. His final point is to add value to strong wool by taking it out of the commodity trade. He believes there are huge opportunities to add value to the clip. He says the three strands have, in the past, been fragmented but they won’t be in the future. “I’m totally committed to driving change. The status quo hasn’t worked,” he told me. “We need to seize the opportunities, get the reforms right and make it a success story for NZ agriculture.” As for strong wool prices, “they’re better now but have a long way to go”. He believes the sector has rallied and is actively looking for solutions. It is good to talk to a person who is passionate about wool, understands the issues and is determined to find solutions. Wool, as we all know, is an amazing product, but there are considerable challenges ahead. For example, just recently the brains trust at the European Union decided that wool fibres have a larger environmental footprint than those made from fossil fuel. I’d question the methodology and attribute the result to lobbying from the petro-chemical industry but that’s the reality. At the start I said I was unconvinced that a committee of nine would produce anything but more of the same. Talking to Mark Patterson gives me reason to hope.
