2025: A Year of Resilience, Renewal—and Real Conversations—for Australian Wool

What a year it’s been. If you’re a woolgrower, you’ve probably felt every twist and turn of 2025—tight margins, tough decisions, and a market that seemed to test our patience at every step. Yet amid all the pressure the industry has leaned in, got honest about some of its toughest challenges, and began charting a smarter path forward. That’s the story of 2025, resilience in action, backed by evidence, collaboration, and a willingness to change when the world signals it’s time.

The numbers were historic: Australian shorn wool production for 2024–25 was pegged at ~280 million kilograms greasy, which is down nearly 12% from last year and the lowest it has been in 100-plus years, with Western Australia and South Australia copping the steepest declines. Behind those figures sat real-world drivers, including drought and challenging conditions in key regions, elevated sheep slaughter, and the confidence shock of the legislated phase-out of live sheep exports by 2028. Add stubborn pricing leading to competing land-use priorities, and the pressure on growers was as real as it gets.

Through that backdrop, WoolProducers Australia pressed hard on accountability and value. Early in the year, we asked whether levy-funded marketing truly connects to price signals at the farm gate, especially when high-profile campaigns rack up views but growers don’t see the lift. That debate mattered, because transparency around outcomes builds trust and helps direct scarce grower dollars to what works.

On biosecurity, we welcomed the federal government’s walk back on the ill-conceived Biosecurity Protection Levy, in February this year. WoolProducers were one of the first grower groups to publicly oppose this levy, following the announcement in the 2023 federal budget.

The launch of the Post-farmgate Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) Strategy 2025–2030 was a significant moment in the biosecurity and industry preparedness space this year. Co-developed with Animal Health Australia and unveiled at Wool Week, the strategy tackles four pillars—policy alignment, capability building, coordination, and enhanced traceability—to keep markets open and confidence high if the worst ever arrives. It’s about speed, clarity, and data—so brokers, exporters, processors, and government can move in lockstep.

This year saw the federal election in May, WoolProducers developed an election platform outlining 22 key asks of government in the interests of woolgrowers, including the establishment of the Wool Trade Policy Office, opposing the imposition of any new taxes on superannuation that unfairly tax unrealised gains (i.e., the Super Tax), implementing a wool procurement policy for government buildings and calling on the government to provide continued commitment to the Regional Investment Corporation, to name a few.

The future depends on people, too. Our “Raising the Baa” Youth Ambassador program gave emerging leaders a seat at the table, with Toby Haylock being this year’s successful applicant. We also supported the development of the next generation through attendance at the Peter Westblade Scholarship training weekend in Monaro and exposure to policy-making and supply-chain dynamics. The message was consistent: practical skills matter, but so does understanding the broader operating environment, how decisions are made and how global buyers think. That’s how you shape an industry, not just your own business.

And then there was mulesing, a conversation that must be had. WoolProducers called on the need for the Australian industry to address this issue, following IWTO and again in July. Which led to a joint call in September from WoolProducers, the National Council of Wool Selling Brokers of Australia (NCWSBA), and the Australian Council of Wool Exporters and Processors (ACWEP) for a unified, industry-wide mulesing strategy. Not continued ignorance on the issue but a strategy: one that equips growers with education, clear market sentiment reporting, pain-relief protocols, and accreditation choices that align with the markets we sell to.

Why now? Because this issue is not going away, as an industry we have made little progress in 20-plus years in addressing this it, and global buyers are sending signals. At the IWTO Congress and the Nanjing Wool Market Conference, Chinese delegates told the China–Australia Joint Working Group they prefer South African and New Zealand wool, especially RWS-certified non mulesed clips, placing Australia third. Brokers reported growing and consistent premiums for certified non mulesed lots and, critically, buyers linking accreditation and traceability to purchasing decisions. In short: to access every market and premium, we must match evolving standards.

This isn’t about telling anyone how to farm; it’s about ensuring you have every option to capture value. Many growers are already breeding toward lower flystrike risk and using pain relief, while others are pursuing accreditation pathways that fit their operations. The proposed industry strategy simply brings coherence—so individual choices align with clear market access and price signals, rather than leaving growers to navigate shifting global expectations alone.

Collaboration carried across the rest of the supply chain, too. In March WoolProducers attended the Wool Industries Australia (WIA) Wool Forum, which brought together key industry figures to discuss the strategies and actions to assist the industry address the many challenges that we are currently facing. There is acknowledgement that the industry is at a crossroads and that we cannot afford to maintain status quo. WoolProducers will continue to work with progressive industry bodies to try and turn the industry’s fortunes around.

Along with other WIA members we pushed traceability and documentation upgrades, while AWEX and industry partners celebrated the WoolClip milestone of “one million bales”, which is a tangible proof-point of digital traceability moving from project to practice. This isn’t just compliance; it’s a commercial asset that keeps doors open and reduces friction from shed to scouring and spinning.

This year saw ongoing low sentiment in textile sectors, driven largely by the implementation of various tariffs in response to President Trumps “Liberation Day” announcements. While Australian wool exports were not directly impacted, wool processing centres throughout Asia and the EU saw tariffs imposed that negatively impacted sentiment amongst brands and consumers in third countries.

Such trade disruptions were modelled in the Deloitte report, delivered under the ATMAC program. WoolProducers continues to advocate for resourcing the Wool Trade Policy Program to drive supply chain diversification to mitigate trade risks, this program continues to feature as a priority in our pre-budget submissions.

WoolProducers has also participated in high level diplomatic and trade events, including the Australia Vietnam Policy Institute conference, and DFAT briefings on the AusUAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and post-US election trade implications.

Engagements with incoming Agricultural Counsellors to China and Vietnam, and the outgoing High Commissioner to Bangladesh, have further strengthened government and bilateral relationships.

Throughout the year, WoolProducers has maintained active dialogue with government and industry stakeholders to expand trade in India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. These efforts reflect a strategic commitment to enhancing market access, fostering international partnerships, and navigating evolving trade regulations to support the lo

Despite the production downturn, forward market signals weren’t all negative. The Australian wool market was valued near $2.87 billion in 2025, with long-run forecasts to $3.7 billion by 2034—modest growth, yes, but anchored by premium Merino positioning and international demand for ethically sourced, traceable fibre. Sector-wide, Agriculture’s profitability dipped in ABS data, a reminder that macro pressures remain—but targeted innovation in genetics, on farm welfare, and supply chain transparency is how we tilt the odds back in our favour.

WoolProducers also strengthened our governance. November’s AGM saw the announcement of independent directors Edward Brand, David Young, and Simon Riddle, while Steve Harrison continued as President. That renewal, paired with a more formal Policy Advisory Committee, ensured growers’ priorities are argued clearly in Canberra and in global forums.

So, what does 2026 look like? It’s the year to execute. We’ll keep rolling out the EAD strategy, deepen traceability, and continue insisting that levy investments are measured on farm gate impact—not just impressions. Most importantly, we’ll push hard to deliver a practical, time bound industry mulesing strategy that aligns on education, information, genetics, pain relief, accreditation, market access and sentiments, so Australian growers compete on quality and principles, not just tradition.

Resilience isn’t just surviving a tough season; it’s using the tough season to build something better. That’s the work ahead—clearer signals, stronger partnerships, and sharper pathways to premium markets. WoolProducers will keep doing what 2025 demanded of us, continuing to ask hard questions, backing growers with practical strategies, and standing shoulder to shoulder with industry partners to protect the value of Australian wool everywhere it’s sold.

Together, we can make 2026 the year we rebuild with confidence, because no one knows Australian wool, or what it takes to produce it, better than Australian woolgrowers.

Jo Hall,

CEO WoolProducers Australia