Wool quotes for 2022 are the same as both 2020 and 2021, with one merchant describing the wool trade as static, adding that wool merchants are in a crisis.
A few weeks back, Agriland decided to find out what wool prices would be this year. Merchants at the time could only speculate, but said that they expected little to no change on what was quoted last year.
And so this is to be the case for the 2022 wool clip, with quality lowland wool quoted at 20c/kg and scotch wool at 5c/kg.
Speaking to Agriland, a wool merchant in the the south of the country said: “I have no real update other than that wool quotes are the same as last year.
“The whole wool trade is static. It’s very hard sell wool. There’s large amounts of it around still from last year.
“I’d safely say there is a quarter of the annual Irish wool clip still in farmers’ sheds, that’s how much is still around.
“I know of farmers with two or three years worth of wool still stacked in the shed,” the merchant continued.
“The wool industry is in a crisis as far as I’m concerned. We have seen high profile merchants in Ireland in the last year pack it up and not handle wool anymore and leave the industry as there is nothing out of it.
“It’s a real struggle. It’s a really tough industry to stay alive in as the margins are getting smaller and smaller each passing year.
“I look at the pig farmers and the struggles they are going through and we are very much in the same boat – struggling to stay afloat.
“Merchants are in a crisis and more needs to be done to help the industry. It’s hard to take any real positives from it, just to try and keep going.”