A farmer has said that Ireland "no longer has an Irish wool industry" as she urged for support.

Blátnaid Gallagher, farmer and co-founder of The Galway Wool Co-op, has said that while the country has farmers producing meat, wool is "treated merely as a by-product, one that has become a deficit to the sheep sector".

Gallagher said that sheep farmers "have a product of value", and a market for wool exists.

However: "Consumers tell me they are baffled and often furious that they have spent their money on 'Irish woollen' products that turn out not to contain Irish wool.

"Our farmers feel forgotten, and our national wool story has been abandoned to confusion and misrepresentation."

She said that with the right incentives and the right national strategy, sheep’s wool "could once again be a source of income".

"Our construction, thermal and bio-materials sectors might finally stop ignoring a highly valuable fibre grown on Irish soil," Gallagher said.

"These businesses must be incentivised to make the switch and finally open the conversation that for too long has been avoided in boardrooms across the country."

Transparency

Gallagher outlined a number of measures that are needed: certification; traceability and transparency; fair trade for Irish growers, ensuring a base price for well-presented clean wool; and honest marketing for Irish consumers and tourists.

She said before any new scouring plants are developed, Ireland must quantify the volume of "clean Irish wool we can genuinely get to market, including theexploration of numerous proven applications for all wool types, strength and colour".

Existing mills must also be incentivised to reintroduce Irish wool into tweeds, apparel and yarn, Gallagher said.

She said that the sector should also "harness technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence for real traceability".

"Only when the Irish wool market is rebuilt with honest data and honest products can we justify major cleaning and scouring infrastructure investment," Gallagher added.