Raetihi farmers want wool required in government builds

Farmers Donna Journeaux (left) and Cathy Rogers want wool carpet and insulation to become a requirement. Photo / Supplied

Before the election Winston Peters said his party would make wool carpets and insulation a requirement for Government-funded buildings - and two Raetihi farmers want to hold him to it.

Cathy Rogers and Donna Journeaux have written to the New Zealand First leader, asking him to follow through on his 2017 statements. They put their letter up on the NZ Farming Facebook page, where it has had more than 300 comments and thousands of reads.

They say farmers are being asked to take care of the environment, and Government should be seen to do the same. Woollen carpets and insulation are sustainable, renewable, flame retardant and durable, and disposing of waste wool is no problem.

Wool should be the answer at a time when Government wants houses to be warmer and healthier.

Synthetic carpet and glass fibre insulation might be cheaper but they become a waste sent to landfill and are damaging to the environment, the farmers say.

"We believe the Government should set an example to our nation and the rest of the world by supporting our sheep industry and use only woollen insulation and carpets in all future renovations and new builds, Parliament offices and commercial building."

The value of the coarse wool produced by most North Island farmers has dropped dramatically since 1987 when Journeaux and her husband John had their first sheep and beef property.

In those days it cost $1.10 to $1.20 to shear a sheep, and wool sold for $4 or $5 a kilogram. Selling wool, rather than selling meat, was the main reason to farm sheep.

These days the Journeauxs have their sheep sheared twice a year, and it costs $4.50 per sheep each time. Each sheep grows five to six kilograms of wool a year, which sells for about $8 - less than the cost of shearing.

Most of the wool is exported and it's a very good product, John Journeaux said.

"It's frustrating. If you try and buy anything made out of wool, it's not cheap. Somewhere along the line people do make money out of it."

He supports a push to make wool mandatory in Government-funded buildings.

"With the worry of climate change and pollution nowadays, it's a great opportunity to go back to a natural, long-lasting product."