Listen: The challenges in the wool industry

PGG Wrightson's GM for wool Grant Edwards. Photo / Supplied

A recent summit in Wellington hoped to offer alternative solutions and open up discussion around the challenges facing the future of the New Zealand wool industry.

PGG Wrightson's GM for wool Grant Edwards spoke with The Country's Jamie Mackay about the importance of sharing the story of the wool industry with the community.

The wool industry is under hard times and as Edwards elaborates that there is "an appetite across the wool industry to make change, and it is a work in progress as to what that change will look like."

Listen below:

Edwards explains that there is a huge opportunity to "tell the industry's story directly to the consumer", especially with the current topics of the use of plastics and synthetics in society.

As industry participants, PGG Wrightson utilises social media platforms such as Facebook to directly communicate with consumers. Edwards acknowledges that there are changes within society and by looking at a "collaborative approach" in the New Zealand wool industry to develop solutions around these changes.

Mackay mentions that "this time a year ago the wool industry was at an all-time low" and combine with the potential for a 25 per cent pay increase for shearers; it could result in the cost of the wool harvesting process exceeding the end-product.

Mackay enquires about a wool grower's levy, and go back to an industry-good organization to doing the marketing, as the current practice appears to be independently managed. While this appears to be on the agenda for the summit, it is still considered more of a future issue.