Gattung offers ear to all in wool industry

It was hardly surprising there was little unity in the wool industry given a decade of decaying prices and confidence, chairwoman of the newly formed Wool Company Theresa Gattung says.

• Discord across wool sector decried 

She said in an interview it was little surprise the industry was so divided and reiterated she would talk to any participant at any time.

"The industry has been in slow decline for over a decade. It is not something you can rejuvenate between breakfast and lunchtime."

That division took a significant step this week, with some brokers, private buyers, scours, exporters, growers and manufacturers forming the United Wool Marketers Group in direct competition to Ms Gattung's Wool Company.

It has the same aims and aspirations as the newly formed joint venture between PGG Wrightson and growers, with the difference appearing to be historical and personal.

The Wool Marketers Group says it was sidelined during the formation of the Wool Company.

Ms Gattung said she had met with exporters and was happy to continue to do so, but that she was focusing on the Wool Company's programme.

One of her goals was to secure access to the Fernmark brand, owned by Wools of New Zealand, which the Wool Company wanted to use as a quality mark.

Ms Gattung said she was passionate about and committed to improving wool returns for farmers and to restoring some confidence to the industry.

The company would soon finalise its name and was looking for a chief executive.

Ultimately, success would be achieved by the wool industry emulating the wine industry, with farmers, encouraged by premium prices, increasing volumes.

It was also important wool was marketed based on its individual characteristics and regional differences, with the creation of a mix of boutique and large-scale businesses.

Ms Gattung cited Romney New Zealand's Nepalese rug initiative as meeting those criteria.

"If any one of those [initiatives] are successful, we should herald it because they are going in the same direction. They are cherries on a tree of which we are trying to build the trunk."

Segmenting the market was crucial so growers were linked to users, a process that would take time, something the industry had little of, as farmers were introducing meat genes to their flocks.

The Wool Company has also gained the support of the past president of the Shearing Contractors Association, Ron Davis, a retired Balclutha shearing contractor.

Mr Davis said all wool industries should support the Wool Company and PGG Wrightsons for trying to promote and create a wool brand, as the industry had been left to drift since the Fernmark brand was sold.

"Since then no-one, including exporters, has maintained the good promotional work, awareness and packaging that the Fernmark brand had created."

He was disappointed exporters had waited until the formation of the Wool Company to announce promotional and marketing plans, while also criticising the creation of the company.

The two groups should work together and Mr Davis said the industry only had to look at Australia to see what could be achieved.

By selling branded crossbred wool that met strict criteria, farmers were achieving premiums of 50c to 70c a kg more than New Zealand farmers, he said.

Mr Davis said the crossbred industry should mirror what New Zealand Merino was doing with fine and mid micron wool.