WoolProducers Australia (WoolProducers) are currently undertaking an open call for expressions of interest (EOI) from organisations able to bring the R-Pilus Footrot vaccine back to Australian sheep producers, with the support of the University of Sydney. The Footrot R-Pilus Vaccine was developed by the University of Sydney and Australian Wool Innovation, with around $1.5 million of woolgrower levies matched by Australian Government funding. It was previously available to far

In this Month's newsletter meet WPA's new Sheep Health, Welfare and Biosecurity Policy Director; the CEO talks about double tagging older sheep: all cost, no biosecurity gain

The recent update to the Australian Veterinary Association's (AVA) policy on mulesing has once again placed this issue under the spotlight. While much attention has focused on the AVA's support for a phase-out of mulesing, it is equally important to acknowledge what the policy also recognises, that flystrike remains a severe animal welfare problem, and an immediate ban on mulesing would create significant adverse consequences for sheep welfare. The AVA has deliberately not ca

Hi All, It is great to see some strong positives in the wool and sheep industry currently. Wool prices have got near to where they need to be and although they have eased slightly let’s hope we see these values for some time. Meat prices are forecast to hold well. There is always however a list of challenges that we continue to manage as wool and sheep producers and primary producers in general. I would like to focus on the re-emerging threat of rabbits. A couple of interesti

A delegation from Indian wool processor, Wool India, has completed a visit to Australia to explore opportunities to process greater volumes of Australian wool through its operations, in a further sign of India’s growing potential as a destination market for Australian wool. Wool India, a multigenerational family-owned wool processing business based in Bikaner, Rajasthan, has traditionally focused on coarser wools suited to carpet and interior textile applications. The company

In this Month's newsletter meet WPA's new Sheep Health, Welfare and Biosecurity Policy Director; the CEO talks about double tagging older sheep: all cost, no biosecurity gain

Growing up on a wool and lucerne production property in South Australia's South East gave me an appreciation for the wool industry from an early age. That appreciation extends beyond the farm through to my family's artificial breeding business, where I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to meet producers from across all states. These experiences have given me a broader understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry, as well as seeing

From 1 January 2027, most Australian states will require every sheep leaving a property to carry an electronic identification (eID) tag, regardless of the animal's age. For newborn lambs, that transition is well underway and largely sensible. But for older sheep, animals already carrying a visual National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) tag, many of them heading straight to slaughter, the looming deadline makes very little sense. WoolProducers Australia is again callin

In this Month's newsletter, Bradley Venning discusses whether Australia wool is a by-product; the CEO talks about a new audience for Australian Wool: Inside the Dhaka Natural Fibres Seminar

On 22 June, roughly 200 representatives from Bangladesh’s textile, spinning, manufacturing, and apparel sectors attended the Australian Natural Fibres Seminar held in Dhaka, which is hopefully reflective of the role that Bangladesh’s significant textile trade can play in Australian produced natural fibres, particularly wool. As synthetic fibres face growing scrutiny over sustainability and microplastic pollution, natural fibres like wool and cotton are getting a fresh look fr

While things have changed recently in terms of the price for wool, the sentiment of this blog is still the same – is wool becoming a by-product of meat? In the past, merino wethers were run to produce high quality wool and processed into highly valued textiles. Now, in some cases, wool in an unprocessed state is making less than polyester fibre. Currently crossbred fleece, no matter how fine, is making less clean than all lamb and some mutton, in cents per kilogram dressed we

200 representatives from Bangladesh's textile, spinning, manufacturing and apparel sectors attended the Australian Natural Fibres Seminar in Dhaka on 22 June, underscoring the growing interest in sustainable, traceable and high-quality natural fibres and strengthening ties between the Australian and Bangladeshi textile industries. The seminar was co-hosted by WoolProducers Australia (WPA) and the Australian Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA) in conjunction with the Australian

In this Month's newsletter, Director Craig Mitchell discusses the hard truths facing Australia's wool industry; the CEO talks about 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 mandat

I am Craig Mitchell, my wife Susan and I run merino sheep and angus cattle on a farm at Countegany on the high plains of Monaro, southeast NSW. Running 8 to 10,000 Merino sheep and around 150 angus cows. We have also been actively involved in the management of a family grazing business south of Bombala, also Southeast NSW, running a full complement of sheep and cattle enterprises. In addition to my farming work, I advocate for the farming industry through the NSW Farm Associa

As members of the Austrade Trade Diversification Network, we are continuing to pursue opportunities to diversify export markets for Australian wool. With the support of Austrade funding we recently had the opportunity to spend four intensive days in Vietnam meeting with government officials, textile manufacturers, industrial park developers, and supply‑chain innovators. The purpose was clear: to advance the next phase of WoolProducers Australia’s Trade Diversification Plan an

As Australia faces continued uncertainty around national fuel security, WoolProducers Australia is working with the National Farmers Federation (NFF) and the Federal Government to proactively ensure the needs of woolgrowers and the broader wool supply chain are clearly understood and prioritised should fuel supply become an a tangible issue. As the situation in the Middle East started to evolve and the ramifications regarding both fuel and fertiliser supply started to emerge,

WoolProducers Australia have been provided with a copy of the letter from Elders Limited advising clients of their decision from July 2027 to cease the handling and selling of wool in Western Australia, with these functions set to be conducted in Melbourne from that date. Elders have cited the nearly 40% reduction in the Western Australian wool clip in recent years as a determining factor in this decision. WoolProducers notes and welcomes Elders ongoing commitment to the wool

Being appointed as an Independent Director of WoolProducers in 2025, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to write about a topic that has been a key focus for me in recent years, the carbon balance of wool producing enterprises. I manage Mount Hesse, one of Australia’s oldest and largest Merino sheep farms, which was acquired by the Suedwolle Group in 2002. Mount Hesse is home to over 25.000 adult ewes, producing up to 135,000 kg of greasy wool annually, with an average micr

The announcement of a long awaited Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the European Union (A-EU FTA) has been met with optimism from government and some non-ag industry sectors. Trade deals matter as they send important signals about economic partnership and shared values, but the A-EU FTA contains little improved value for ag, particularly for Australia’s red meat sector. But for Australia’s wool industry, the real test of this agreement will not be found in tariffs o

Welcome to 2026, it is heartening to start the year on a positive note with regards to the wool market, but I would also like to acknowledge the adversities that some of our growers faced over the summer period including those impacted by flooding, fires and dry conditions. In this month’s report, I will be taking a guess at a number of factors that I believe will impact the Australian wool industry over the next 12-months. After a bruising couple of years for woolgrowers and

The long road back home, to a career in Agriculture and Agriculture Advocacy. As a young child growing up on the family mixed farm in the Ganmain/Coolamon region in the eastern Riverina, I believed my course was set. I had finished school and had completed a farm management and wool classing course. Now home to a future in farming. I could not have been more wrong. It wasn't a bad plan, Dad wanted me home, the farm was not large, but there was plenty of work. Dad had just bou

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

Simon Riddle, Director for WoolProducers Australia There has been a lot of public media and comments made about this issue during the last 6 -months following the IWTO Congress in May, at which our biggest customer, China, expressed their strong preference for sourcing RWS accredited wool, revealing that South Africa is their preferred source, followed by New Zealand, with Australia coming in third. This is due mainly to both South Africa and New Zealand not mulesing and a hi