Press release
Wool Feasibility Study published
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, today welcomed the publication of the Wool Feasibility Report.
Minister McConalogue said:
“I welcome the publication of this important report. Delivering on a commitment in the Programme for Government, this important report provides a valuable resource for industry, and I look forward to working with Ministers Hackett and Heydon in helping the sector to develop in line with the recommendations outlined. I hope the report will be used by the sector to help chart an exciting future of the wool sector."
Minister of State for Agriculture with special responsibility for land use and biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett said:
“I am delighted to announce the publication of this valuable report which contains a wealth of information for stakeholders and industry including potential funding streams, market opportunities for wool including fertiliser and insulation, and multiple areas for further research and development."
One of the main recommendations of the report is the establishment of an industry-led Wool Council which would develop and promote Irish wool domestically and internationally, bringing together multiple stakeholders to foster collaboration, innovation and scaling activities. The report suggests that the broadly based membership of this voluntary Council should include a mix of primary producer farmers and stakeholders/supporters, including commercial enterprises who are willing to fund research and promotions and to advise on scaling of micro businesses involved in the wool sector.
Minister Hackett added:
“I now call on stakeholders and industry to come together to form a Wool Council that will lead the industry collaboration and innovation needed to develop and promote Irish wool domestically and internationally. Following the formation by industry of a Wool Council representative of a broad range of stakeholders, our department will provide financial assistance of €30,000 towards the initial set-up costs.”
Minister of State with special responsibility for research and development, Martin Heydon, said:
“I welcome the publication of this report reviewing the market opportunities for Irish grown wool-based products and note the recommendations it makes relating to research. Wool has huge potential as a natural material in Irelands growing bioeconomy. The Programme for Government commits to investing in research in the agri-food sector, including the bioeconomy, and the research funding our department provides through its competitive, public-good funding streams is an important component in delivering on this."
The final report is titled: “Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Review of Market Opportunities for Irish Grown Wool Based Products” and can be accessed here:
Wool is a sustainable, organic, renewable natural material which can be used in a wide range of products such as textiles, fertilisers, insulation and packaging. However, despite its versatility in many industries, wool prices remain unacceptably low. In order to address this issue and seek a more favourable outlook for the future of the wool industry, I secured government funding of €100,000 in Budget 2021 to conduct a review of the potential demand in domestic and international markets for wool-based products such as insulation and fertilisers.
In advance of the review, a public consultation process was initiated whereby interested stakeholders were invited to submit their proposals on the potential market opportunities for wool products on the domestic and international markets. Over 45 submissions were received.
Following a competitive public procurement procedure, ‘The Agile Executive’ a consortium made up of experts from Munster Technological University and Donegal Yarns, were appointed in November 2021 to carry out the wool review and include the submissions received under the public consultation process.