MAY 2026
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
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My Take On Our Wool Industry
On the WoolProducers Blog this month is Director Craig Mitchell discussing the hard truths facing Australia's wool industry. With the national flock down from 180 million to 67 million sheep since 1990 and the global market share shrinking from 3% to just 0.25%, Craig argues the industry needs to stop chasing marketing fixes and focus on what growers can control - lifting productivity and cutting the cost of production…
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ENGAGEMENT
UPDATE
Animal Health, Welfare and
Biosecurity
This Month, WoolProducers Met With:
Animal Health Australia to discuss a review of the eLearning package for Livestock and wool selling agents EAD training.
DAFF to have further discussion on sheep welfare in land transport
WoolProducers Attended:
The Sheep Sustainability Framework Industry Forum.
The Animal Health Australia Crisis Management Planning workshop.
A number of AUSVETPLAN writing group meetings for EADRA categorisation.
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Trade
This Month, WoolProducers Australia:
Engaged in a number of meetings with Austrade to progress work under the Accessing New Markets Initiative, which will see further work being conducted on behalf of the wool industry in Vietnam, Bangladesh and India.
Were invited to the International Trade Network Special Event to consider key trends in global trade and to consider what lies ahead for the remainder of 2026.
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Other Engagements
WoolProducers held their Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and Board meetings in Sydney on 13 and 14 May…here is a copy of the Executive Summary for the PAC meeting.
WoolProducers Engaged In The Following Activities During May:
Met with the National Council of Wool Selling Brokers and the Australian Council of Wool Exporters and Processors to discuss industry issues, including selling centre arrangements.
Participated in multiple meetings (Ministerial, government and industry) in relation to fuel and fertiliser shortages and delays due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Attended the NFF CEOs meeting and Members Council, which included the Special General Meeting to vote on changes to membership categories, which was successful.
Participated in a DAFF webinar on Primary Industries Levies and Charges Disbursement Act 2024
Attended a Wool Industries Australia Executive meeting to discuss numerous wool industry issues, including the upcoming IWTO Congress in Dalang, China in June, Wool Week and the industry mulesing strategy.
Participated AWI’s Wool Consultative Group meeting and Wool Industry Consultative Panel meetings in Sydney…A copy of the WICP communique can be found here
Presented to AgForce Sheep, Wool and Goat Board.
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CEO'S REPORT
Mandatory Pain Relief for Mulesing: Policy Catching Up with Practice
By any reasonable standard, the case for mandatory pain relief for mulesing is already settled, both practically and ethically. The reality is that the overwhelming majority of Australian wool producers have already moved in this direction, and government policy should now catch up with practice.
WoolProducers recognised this as far back as 2018, and while our organisation is cautious about adding regulatory burden to woolgrowers, it was determined that the benefits of mandating pain relief far outweighed the drawbacks.
That decision was shaped by the realities of supply chains, market expectations, and public perception. Global buyers increasingly scrutinise animal welfare standards, and failure to demonstrate progress risks damaging the reputation, longevity and profitability of the entire industry…
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GET INVOLVED
2026 Australian Agriculture Awards
The Australian Agriculture Awards provide national recognition for farmers, agribusiness leaders and agri-professionals making a long-lasting and profound contribution to this vital sector…Find out more a
Still time to complete: Sheep Producer Intentions Survey
Three times a year, MLA and AWI run a joint survey to collect sheepmeat industry livestock numbers and lamb production expectations…Complete the survey heret.
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2026 Census
Census night is Tuesday 11 August 2026. From late July 2026, households will receive instructions on how to complete the Census. As a reminder most households will get a letter with instructions to complete the Census online. If you get instructions to complete online but would prefer a paper form, you’ll be able to request one…More information here
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AWI - The Yarn Podcast: Episode 284 - AWI’s new CEO Bryan Fry
The research, development and marketing body for Australian wool has a new CEO, Bryan Fry.
285 - Wool marketing 101
Opinions about how to market the world’s greatest natural fibre are not hard to find, however listening to the person in charge is very enlightening.
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Australian Export Awards
2026
Applications for the 64th annual Australian Export Awards are still open. The Australian Export Awards is a prestigious program recognising outstanding export achievements, offering opportunities to grow your business, build connections, and gain global recognition…See morea
Consultation Open on AWI Review of Performance
Woolgrowers are invited to participate in an independent review of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI). Independent reviews are conducted periodically as a requirement of AWI’s Statutory Funding Agreement with the Commonwealth…Find out more or participate here
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Have Your Say - Open Consultations
The Australian Government has several consultations open for public submission. To view any of the consultations and to have your say, visit the consultation webpage by following the links below:
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THIS MONTH IN WOOL
Weather warnings and climate outlooks
The June-August long-range forecast predicts below-average rainfall for eastern and south-eastern Australia, above-average temperatures nationally, and a possible El Niño developing by late winter…More here
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Online tool available to support productivity across heavy vehicle industry
The NHVR are encouraging Industry to use Freight PASS, a web app designed to help users compare the productivity, asset impact, safety and sustainability trade-offs of different heavy vehicle configurations…See more here
Fox & Lillie Rural acquires Rhodes Wool in Adelaide South Australia
Australian family-owned agribusiness Fox & Lillie Rural has announced the acquisition of Rhodes Wool in Adelaide, marking a significant expansion of presence in one of Australia’s premier wool-growing regions…Read more
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ABARES Agricultural Commodities Report
ABARES will be releasing its June Agricultural Commodities and Australian Crop report on 2nd June, providing an update for Australia’s agricultural sector…Find out more
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EOI: AWI Transition to non-mulesed pilot project
AWI is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) for the AWI Transition to non-mulesed pilot project.
Woolgrowers who are considering moving to non-mulesed, actively working towards going non-mulesed, or have stopped mulesing within the past five years and are continuing to work towards bedding down their new non-mulesed system are encouraged to submit an EOI to participate in this new AWI pilot project…More information here
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Animal Health Australia EAD Training Update
AHA is transitioning its online training from Biosecurity Online Training (BOLT) to a new learning management system, Acorn from 1 July 2026. Complete any in-progress courses or download training records by 30th June in BOLT…More info here
Eastern Market Index
The EMI surged 54 cents this week to a 7-year high, finishing 54 cents higher at 1,934 ac/kg and the WMI closing 39 cents firmer at 2,125 ac/kg. Year-on-year, the EMI is now sitting 730 cents or 60.6% higher in AUD terms…weekly price reports