Almost 18,000 sign campaign for wool to be mandated in construction

[Agriland RSS]

Written by Rachel Martin

Almost 18,000 people have signed a petition calling for wool-based insulation and carpeting to be made mandatory in publicly-financed building projects.

Backed by the National Sheep Association (NSA) and British Wool, the petition also calls for the new home insulation scheme to support wool-based products.

‘Paid just 28p a fleece’


The petition explained sheep farmers receive less for their wool than the cost of shearing the sheep.

“Last year, David Jones [pictured top] received 28p a fleece and paid the shearer £1. This year, the value is set to drop by at least half. Hence he, and many other farmers across the country, have made the decision to plough their wool into the fields as fertiliser.”

The case is not isolated one, tens of thousands of people online reached out to East Sussex sheep farmer Stuart Fletcher after he posted a picture of his wool explaining how it would be disposed of.

“This is a very sad sight for me as a shepherd, but I think should be for our country and whole environment,” he said.

“For millennia the British sheep has clothed and insulated us in organic and biodegradable luxury – the envy of the world.

Today we took the first load of fleeces I have shorn to a neighbouring arable farm to be composted. It is now worth less than the diesel I’d need to take it to the Wool Board’s depot in Ashford.

“Meanwhile people are walking around in man-made fibres derived from the petrochemical industry, panicking that the oceans are filling up with plastic while blaming ruminants for climate change. Something is going wrong somewhere.”

The petition highlighted fears of a further blow to the industry stating: “On January 1, 2021, sheep farmers may be further affected by possible new tariffs on sheep meat of at least 40%.

“Currently, over half our sheep exports go to the EU and will never be substituted by trade deals with the USA or Japan, for example. Sheep farmers’ incomes are being squeezed at every point.”

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[Dry Rot]

Common sense at last.

 

[JP1]

Two viewpoints spotted this morning

1) UK

2) New Zealand

 

[texas pete]

Two viewpoints spotted this morning

1) UK

2) New Zealand

It's like night and day.

Far easier to sign a petition, or go on a protest, than invest in some research or marketing.

 

[Still Farming]

What's Unions doing?

 

[Tim W]

What's Unions doing?

The key to unions is in the name
Unions are only as effective as their members

 

[Chopsy Varmint]

Two viewpoints spotted this morning

1) UK

2) New Zealand

For further comparison, the going rate for 100g of pure, dyed British knitting wool is about £10 to £15, dk weight (aka yarn thickness) so the sort you'd make a jumper out of. Icelandic pure wool is about half that price, as is merino and wool from the US and South America.

 

[Dry Rot]

We seem to get a lot of petitions on TFF. Why isn't there one on this? And I don't even keep sheep any more!

 

[Northern territory]

Where do you sign it is there a link?

 

[The Ruminant]

Link: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/british-wool-for-british-insulation

 

[uztrac]

done

 

[Treemover]

The thing I find with farming is we have to start again. We used to have co-ops. Now we just have big conglomerates or monopolies that we supply and purchase from. We also used to have representation in politics, and farming unions. Now we just have bodies that pay themselves first and will not upset the system, as they are paid out of that. I could say reform, but Id sound like someone from the 1960s.
I am delighted to see wool finally finding an outlet. I hope this is just the beginning. I always said and felt that farming is more sustainable and environmentally friendly that any other industry. I recently under took a UA1 course (allows me to work with trees under utility poles) and our lecturer said that electricity looses approx. 30% efficiency through transmission and inverters. Clarkson was right in saying, imagine if when you filled up, you lost 30% of your fuel onto the ground.

 

[Gerbert]

Coincidentally, should there be a similar petition for candles?
All of those who produce something that is no longer in demand and recon the use of it ought to be mandatory is delusional.
As is anyone who thinks that there should be only be one party selling it, but that's a whole different matter.

Treemover, the cost of the power before the meter is pennies to the pound so that 30 % comes down to dick all.

 

[Treemover]

Coincidentally, should there be a similar petition for candles?
All of those who produce something that is no longer in demand and recon the use of it ought to be mandatory is delusional.
As is anyone who thinks that there should be only be one party selling it, but that's a whole different matter.

Treemover, the cost of the power before the meter is pennies to the pound so that 30 % comes down to dick all.

I think your missing the point, I dont think its a case of bring back in all things from the past, and while we are at it, ban cars and go back to the horse. Do you not think its progress, when as farmers we have a product that is better, cheaper than the alternatives; yet those that control the marketplace, ensure we do not get a look in. American maize for breakfast cereal is one example.

 

[muleman]

We seem to get a lot of petitions on TFF. Why isn't there one on this? And I don't even keep sheep any more!

We've had another thead about wool price on here and some farmers think wool job isnt that bad....or if it is bad its because our product isnt good enough

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

I wouldn't like to knock anyone who does anything to promote wool and increase the price and sales, but a word of caution on Insulation.

Around 20 years ago the BWMB and WRONZ (Wool Research of New Zealand under Dr Garth Carnaby) did a lot of research into alternative uses for wool.
Insulation was high on the list and there were some fantastic products created. There are mainly two methods of manufacture for insulation. The best type is to use a cross lapper, this is where the wool is combed (the longer the staple the better) and the machine puts the combed fibre in layers at 90' to each other and you build up a mat about 12" thick which is then put through a needle punching machine which knits the fibres together and reduces it to around a 4" batt. The finished product is a beautiful handling article, but it is also very expensive, around 6 - 8 times the price of Rockwool, it has to be moth proofed.
The other process is where the wool is chopped up and blown into a continuous layering process, called Air Lay. To make this stay together a bonding agent of a type of resin is added and this is put through an oven which melts the bond to make it stick together, (This does slightly reduce the fire retardancy). This is a much cheaper process and will be around 3 - 4 times the price of Rockwool. Moth proofing is also important as insects do like any natural product.

The Australians made wool insulation again in the early 2000's and it started off being a runaway success, unfortunately there were no standards set and there were some horror stories of where the insulation was all eaten by moths. The Rockwool industry also had an advertising campaign against wool insulation with a whole page advert with the fire brigades number across it to remind people if they have wool insulation to keep the number by their bed.
The reason for this was that the manufacturers cheapened the wool insulation by adding other fibres, including paper that were very flammable.

The only British company making wool insulation is Thermafleece, marketed now as Cosywool. This was originally set up by a dynamic lady, Christine Armstrong. They do use the cheapest of British Wool and also some recycled wool.

The problem is that if the price of wool was zero the insulation would still be 2 or 3 times more expensive than Rockwool. I have always thought that this is the wrong end of the market for what is a unique and environmentally friendly product, but if there is no other then at least it gets it used.

 

[Gerbert]

@Treemover Yes I agree with that. Apart from mandating use, of anything for that matter.

frank the wool brings it perfectly, when something is very expensive to produce but cheap to imitate, guess what happens. Like frank, I wouldn't knock anyone being innovative on the whole matter, just be aware of any unintentional consequences and be sure there will be.

 

[Tim W]

You cannot mandate use
But you can tax/ban use of polluting fibres
Using wool for insulation as a way of making money for primary producers will not get farmers much return
We need to
1) Improve our product---breed for wool that has a market
2) Brand our product
3) Add value
There are people doing all the above on small/individual scales with success

 

[Treemover]

Totally agree, mandating is wrong, any product should stand on its own. My point is lets just level the playing field. I think at some point, we are going to see that shipping products all around the world has more of a cost, than just oil and steel. I am far from a green warrior. A lot of things today are nearly disposable, and to be totally honest, I know little about insulation, but I thought most was made from oil or some poly something or other. I just skim read the above, and thought, at last, something is starting to happen to benefit the farmer.

Frank is there any market out there for wool that you see as justified?

 

[Global ovine]

You cannot mandate use
But you can tax/ban use of polluting fibres
Using wool for insulation as a way of making money for primary producers will not get farmers much return
We need to
1) Improve our product---breed for wool that has a market
2) Brand our product
3) Add value
There are people doing all the above on small/individual scales with success

These three points are pertinent to the industry. However to comment on each;
1) Merino NZ has certainly done this with Merino marketing appropriate fibres based on specific metrics to certain processors whom demand those metrics in micron, colour and fibre length etc. and offering growers all levels of advise in improving genetics. We now have lots of novel next to the skin active ware and fashion ware options that once did not exist. But many fashion wares come and go, such as high lustre wool we saw in the late 1970s/early 80s. Therefore what is developed must have market demand persistence, currently strong wools have a limited end use other than floor coverings and furnishings. Maybe the whole marketing effort needs a revival to promote its naturalness, fire retardant properties etc., but I cannot see a global sheep farmer funding currently being financially acceptable to growers. Wool traits are some of the highest heritability traits manipulated by sheep breeders, so easily changed in few sheep generations, but extremes are limited by environmental constraints. So everybody cannot chase the one highest value fibre. Get involved in the value chain so there is communication from downstream coming back to the grower. An example, one NZ Perendale farmer grows all the specialist wool for the world's production of tennis balls. They know exactly what the manufacturer demands and specifically produces that to very defined metrics. As long as wool is regarded by growers as a byproduct of lamb production, growers will be reluctant to adapt.
2) Merino products are branded MERINO, not wool. Most people in the world don't know that wool comes from sheep, so call it as a specialist product to do a special job, not by a generic name.
3) Add value. This will involve specialist processors using fibre with the appropriate specifications. It will not include hocking it off to the first buyer with a lorry passing one's gate. Fortunately most popular items sold today were not thought of 30 years ago. Lets hope the clever boys and girls have some ideas that will use natural fibres.