The Farmers Mart Jun/Jul 2016 - Issue 46 | Page 69

Sheep

Wool prices under pressure
»»DEMAND IS HIGH, BUT
wool prices are under pressure
says Gareth Jones, BWMB
Producer Communications
Manager.
As the shearing season
gathers pace, the British Wool
Marketing Board (BWMB) has
announced details of wool
prices for the coming season.
It’s no secret this year wool
prices are under pressure,
resulting in producer returns
being lower than in 2015,
which is also the case for wool
producers across the globe.
This is a result of the strong
sterling for most of the selling
season coupled with a weak
New Zealand dollar.
Prices for some breeds may
be harder hit than others due
to a downturn in the demand
for carpet style wools. Fine

and medium wools such as
Texel and Lleyn are expected
to average £1.02/kg, Cheviot
wool at £1.20/kg and the Mule
wool around £0.95/kg. The
carpet wool market has been
tougher, due to tight price
boundaries being pushed by
retailers and the increasing use
of polypropylene. Based on
market trends in recent months
we expect the Swaledale type
wool to average around 40p/
kg.

British Wool Marketing Board

Your Wool Your Board
2016 Guide
Wool Clip Values*

Clearance
rates at BWMB
auction sales over
the last few months have been
strong and there is still demand
for quality British wools - BWMB’s
continuing development of its
Quality Control Scheme last
spring has helped maintain that
demand, providing buyers with
assurance of the wool they are
buying and allowing them to
pass that confidence on to their
customers.

Cheviot

£1.20 / kg

Blackface

Adding another level of
integrity to the Board’s work
is the Quality Assurance
Certification Scheme for
manufacturers which will
build on the success
of the Quality Control
Scheme already
implemented in BWMB
Depots.
Under the new recently
launched Quality Assurance
Certification Scheme,
manufacturers can apply for
Platinum or Gold certification
which ensures the wool
content of the product is 100%
or 80% or more British wool,
respectively.
The certification scheme
ensures the wool can be traced
back to the auction sales
and through the wool supply
chain.

Mule

£0.95 / kg

Suffolk

£0.61 / kg

£0.95 / kg

Texel

Swaledale

*Net value after all operating costs have been deducted and
excluding VAT. Based on sales January to April 2016.

You can find out more about British wool and
the work of the British Wool Marketing Board at:
Web: britishwool.org.uk Telephone: [phone]

£1.02 / kg

£0.40 / kg

www.farmers-mart.co.uk Jun/Jul 2016 69