Last week the Wool Alliance presented to the Parliamentary Primary Prodution Select Committe to advocate for the return of a wool levy to unlock New Zealand’s undervalued wool.

In a recent interview on CountryWide CONNECT, Ross McIsaac from Wool Impact shared his insights from a recent farmer survey on the demand for a wool levy from farmers to improve farm gate prices.

“We know there’s more value for wool, but we actually need to do some work for it,” says McIsaac. This sentiment reflects the frustration of many in the industry who see the potential but recognize the need for strategic investment and innovation.

The Wool Alliance, a partnership that includes Wool Impact, Campaign for Wool, and other organizations, is focused on creating a sustainable future for wool.

McIsaac highlighted the importance of collaboration, stating, “We’ve spent over six months talking to people on the industry side around what we think is needed and making sure that they agree with that.”One of the key challenges is the reintroduction of a wool levy, which McIsaac believes could be a realistic opportunity.

“There’s over 50% support for a new organisation to be put in place, and around 51% support for a levy to be reintroduced,” he noted. However, he acknowledged the need for transparency and a compelling case to ensure the levy delivers a sufficient return on investment.

McIsaac also discussed the need for industry standards and strong relationships across the supply chain. “We need to deliver on a range of work ranging from education and training to wool harvesting level, right through the supply and value chains,” he explained.

The conversation also touched on the broader market dynamics, with McIsaac pointing out that while wool prices have seen some increases, the market has not fully sorted itself out. “We’ve been here before, we’ve seen it go up, and it was actually the last time the levy was proposed was in 2014,” he recalled.

Despite these challenges, McIsaac remains optimistic about the future of wool. 

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