Dear stakeholder,
We are pleased to announce an important survey initiated by the European
Wool Association to explore and enhance the understanding of how wool
across Europe is transferred from the sheep to the processor.
There are two channels for this:
a. Private trade – the farmer sells greasy wool to a merchant, who then
sells the wool (greasy, scoured, or combed) to the manufacturer, large
or small.
b. Auction – farmers' associations gather their wool, classify it, and
then sell it at auction to merchants or manufacturers.
Generally, in major wool-producing regions such as Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, and South America, both channels ensure that
greasy wool leaves the farm and enters the international wool
manufacturing system.
In Europe, despite being the third-largest wool-producing continent, the
heavy reliance on private trade in the vast majority of European nations
is not performing as hoped. The international wool price and demand are
insufficient for farmers or merchants to cover their costs. There is no
national wool promotion in almost all of Europe.
Fortunately, there is a shift towards natural fibres and European
processing, rather than Asian synthetic fibre manufacturing. This could
provide a stimulus for the whole of Europe to bring its wool industry
into the 21st century. Although some excellent organisations are already
operating in parts of Europe, many areas have almost no infrastructure.
Now may be the time for the larger wool-producing nations to be part of
a European standardised wool collection network, hopefully with active
farmer participation. Perhaps several large depots with grading and
press-packing facilities, along with many smaller temporary collection
centres, all providing information, training, wool promotion, and sales
while guaranteeing quality. Private trading must still be encouraged, as
their coexistence is essential to a healthy wool market. Smaller nations
can join larger operations.
Within this survey, we aim to evaluate the entire status quo of wool
collection in Europe, including small farmers' initiatives as well as
regional or national wool collecting and marketing depots, and
everything in between.
We invite you to participate and contribute your valuable insights. Your
input will help shape the future of how European wool can once again
become an important player in world wool markets, ensuring
sustainability, economic viability, and responsiveness to future market
demands.
This is the direct link to the survey:
https://www.survio.com/survey/d/M5W4M1H4E4T4D5T1W
We thank you in advance for your active participation. Please spread
this email and the survey as widely as possible within all your
networks.
Thank you once again.
Kind regards,
European Wool Association AISBL
Working Group on Wool Collecting Systems in Europe
