Wool Task force report released

The beleaguered strong wool industry has been told to show maturity and stop fighting if it is to arrest continued declining prices reports The ODT. The Government-commissioned Wool Taskforce reported yesterday on how to restore profitability to the $700 million export industry, and it offered a solution package that included being market-led, co-operation, identifying markets, new products and consumers and to play on wool's natural and sustainable attributes. That meant a shift in thinking from pushing supply and emphasising production to meeting the needs of the market and ultimately the consumer. It warned against generic promotion of wool, saying it would not work. While there was no silver bullet solution, the 24-page report said the sector needed to "move beyond old industry politics and noise". For its size, the sector had a large number of interest groups and representative bodies, and while not listing those entities, the report said questions should be asked whether they all added value or obstructed the market-led direction the sector needed to be taking. "The task force concluded that the large number of interest groups do not currently share a co-ordinated, overarching vision or strategy." It said some organisations and activities were "positively damaging the sector," but did not provide specifics. The report recommended the establishment of a collective industry voice and a sector marketing group which could leverage government funds for partnerships in market-led wool research and innovation projects.