Furore as Kāinga Ora rules out wool carpets
State housing provider, Kāinga Ora’s decision to rule out the use of wool carpets in social housing has been described as a slap in the face by sheep farmers.
The strong dollar, restricted off-shore interest and high volumes of one wool category on offer this week saw local prices ease.
New Zealand Wool Services marketing executive, Malcolm Ching says of the 12,180 bales on offer from the predominantly short second shear wools in the North Island, 77% sold.
The weighted currency indicator compared to the previous weeks' auction lifted 0.65%.
Ching advises that compared to the similar offering of North Island wools on June 9:
Fine crossbred shears were 2 to 4% cheaper.
Coarse crossbred full fleece were firm to 3.5% easier.
Coarse shears were down 3 to 6% with the shorter types affected the most.
Short first lambs were 2 to 4% softer.
Coarse short oddments were 2.5 to 5.5% cheaper.
There was limited interest with Australasia, Western Europe, United Kingdom principals, supported by India, Middle East and China.
The news sale on June 30 comprises about 11,300 bales from the South Island.
The first phase of a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigation into allegations of mistreatment of sheep connected to shearing practices has been completed.
According to Biosecurity New Zealand, legal controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the South Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe will remain in place until mid-February.
The rollout of the New Zealand Genetic Evaluation Version 6 is said to mark a step-change in the depth and breadth of genetic information available to both stud and commercial sheep breeders.
With low wool prices, farmer interest in the self-shedding Wiltshire sheep continues to grow.
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