Wool Board to pay less than £1 a fleece for 2022 clip
© Tim Scrivener British Wool has confirmed it will pay farmers just 30p/kg for its core grades of 2022 wool.
Blackface wool will receive 20p/kg, while Welsh Mountain and Swaledale wool will be paid at 10p/kg and 8p/kg respectively.
Based on a 2.5kg fleece, farmers would receive just 75p a fleece for core grades, or £1.20 for a heavier 4kg fleece.
See also: How Somerset sheep farm benefits from added-value wool sales
Current wool prices are not even covering the cost of shearing, with the National Association of Agricultural Contractors putting shearing prices at £1.65 a ewe.
Organic flocks will receive a premium of 70p/kg for core grades and 20p/kg for Welsh Mountain fleeces.
Wool markets were severely impacted by Covid-19 and had started to recover, but high energy costs in the past year created further problems.
Andrew Hogley, chief executive of British Wool, said: “We understand that prices will be disappointing to our members, particularly on the back of falling lamb prices and other difficulties in the wider industry. We are frustrated, too.
“As a farmers’ co-operative, the returns we offer our members are determined by the value we can achieve for the wool we sell on their behalf and the costs of bringing that wool to market,” he added.
A total of £6.6m will be paid to members this year.