News -

Taskforce report helps put wool ‘back on its own four-feet'

Federated Farmers has welcomed the release of the Wool Industry Taskforce report about restoring profitability to the New Zealand wool industry. To that end the Federation will be following it up on Monday by meeting with Meat & Wool NZ.

"The future of wool is really the future of the $3.4 billion New Zealand sheep industry," says Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre spokesperson.

"To have parity with 1980 volume and price the FOB value, in adjusted terms, wool would be worth $2.8 billion and not the current $570 million. Put that together with meat and the result would transform our industry.

"I am very happy this report is focused upon commercial solutions. If you do a word count the word ‘levy' appears just three times while the word ‘commercial' appears 29 times. That shows a welcome shift in outlook.

"Refreshingly, there's acknowledgement that industry politics have got in the way of solutions. Federated Farmers wants to help give life to this report and many of its recommendations.

"The last thing we want is for this report to sit on a shelf with other past reports.

"It's a big reason why my team is meeting with Meat & Wool NZ on Monday - it's about setting a way forward when the wool levy ultimately comes to an end. .

"The Wool Research Consortium, floated in the report, sounds intriguing but all I know about it, is what's written in the report. Given the Federation is an interested party with a strong democratic basis very near to the production end of the supply chain, we want to fully play our part.

"That includes maximising opportunities for the $30 million dollars of producer money in the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand. Not to mention a positive resolution to the $8 million left in the Wool Board Disestablishment Company.

"Wool's great counter revolution, as The HRH Wool Project is showing, revolves around our end consumers. Our future will be about exceeding consumer notions of what wool is and what wool is capable of delivering. Everything we do on-farm really works back from our ultimate end consumers.

"While there are some recommendations that need clarity, I'm happy for Federated Farmers to work positively with all industry players. It's all about getting wool and the New Zealand sheep industry back on its own four-feet," Mr Wills concluded.