The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Crossbred wool used for Marks & Spencer clothing range

Otago Daily Times
15 Oct, 2018 10:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Southland farmers Sheena Casey (left) and parents Jan and Adam McCall are delighted crossbred lambswool is being used for a new clothing range.

Southland farmers Sheena Casey (left) and parents Jan and Adam McCall are delighted crossbred lambswool is being used for a new clothing range.

The launch of a menswear range by UK retail giant Marks & Spencer using crossbred lambswool has "got to be a positive'', Southland farmer Adam McCall says.

New Zealand crossbred wool growers have had little to get excited about in recent times, as prices languish.

Now Marks & Spencer has become one of the first major clothing retailers to launch a range with wool certified under the global Responsible Wool Standard (RWS).

The men's blazers and waistcoats feature lambswool grown by RWS-accredited Wools of New Zealand growers.

The fabric was manufactured by Abraham Moon & Sons at its Yorkshire mill, while the clothing was made in Vietnam.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Wools of New Zealand chief executive Rosstan Mazey said the wool was in the 28-31 micron range, which was more traditionally used in the production of interior textiles.

"It's a big step for crossbred wool and it's tremendously exciting to see our wool moving into high-end attire,'' Mr Mazey said.

Mr McCall, who farms at Winton with wife Jan and their daughter Sheena, hoped such an initiative might help to build momentum and raise prices.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Having been farming all his life and with a passion for wool, he always had faith the fibre was "going to come back''.

But he started to lose some of that positivity a few years ago and says it is going to take a bit to lift it to where it needed to be.

However, it was good to see there were alternatives for crossbred wool other than
carpet, he said.

Steven Parsons, brand and business development manager for Wools of New Zealand in the UK, said the RWS was imagined and developed as the global standard for growing wool in 2016.

Discover more

Marton Young Farmers go barking mad at first ever bark up

14 Oct 07:00 PM

Show boss predicts big crowds

14 Oct 04:40 PM

David Buick wins opening North Island shearing event

14 Oct 10:00 PM

The Country - Birthday edition

15 Oct 12:05 AM

"Wools of New Zealand have joined a rapidly growing number of international brands and the Textile Exchange as strong advocates for RWS as a global wool production standard, providing an assurance to consumers that the wool they are buying has been grown to the highest possible standards across farm management and animal welfare.

"M&S represent a powerful partner in that respect, as they are able to influence the value chain and change attitudes towards fibre production.

"There is a new reality out there for both producers and retailers and that is they need to be responsible for driving supply chains towards true sustainability,'' Mr Parsons said.

Mr Mazey said their 14 grower shareholders were accredited under the RWS throughout New Zealand.

The launch of the new product was expected to boost interest in both WNZ's wool and RWS credentials and it was expected more growers would become RWS-certified as market demand built.

Rabobank's latest Agribusiness Monthly said New Zealand had a disappointing month in August. The volume shipped to China was the lowest since August 2016.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Textiles had largely been left out of the trade war to date but were implicated in the latest round of tariffs implemented by the US.

Semi-processed wool products such as wool yarn and fabric, as well as wool carpets, imported from China would attract a 10% tariff. China was the second-largest supplier of wool carpets to the US behind India.

The market for coarse crossbred wool rose slightly through the month before finishing September about where it started, with the NZWSI coarse crossbred indicator at 330c/kg clean. Clearance rates at auction also fell towards the end of the month.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand's new season outlook for 2018-19 estimated a 4.3% lift in the forecast value of all wool for the season. That comprised gains in crossbred, lambswool and medium wool and a fall in the value of fine wool. Wool production in New Zealand was forecast to fall 2.2%, reflecting lower fleece weights and fewer sheep shorn.

Fine wool prices continued to reflect the relative strength of the Australian market. Although prices softened 4% through September, reduced supply remained a critical factor for the price outlook.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Why a 'cute' pet is now included in a pest management plan

19 Jun 10:00 PM
The Country

How traditional Māori farming methods boost modern agriculture

19 Jun 05:01 PM
The Country

What Bremworth’s $2m Kāinga Ora contract means for Whanganui

19 Jun 05:00 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Why a 'cute' pet is now included in a pest management plan

Why a 'cute' pet is now included in a pest management plan

19 Jun 10:00 PM

Hint: They are more likely to degrade waterways than mutate into a crime-fighting team.

How traditional Māori farming methods boost modern agriculture

How traditional Māori farming methods boost modern agriculture

19 Jun 05:01 PM
What Bremworth’s $2m Kāinga Ora contract means for Whanganui

What Bremworth’s $2m Kāinga Ora contract means for Whanganui

19 Jun 05:00 PM
Young Farmers involvement 'life-changing' for Carla

Young Farmers involvement 'life-changing' for Carla

19 Jun 04:59 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP