Munro serves M&WNZ on wool levy spending

Wool grower Anne Munro, of Fairlie, South Canterbury, is demanding more accountability from M&WNZ over the spending of the 5.25c/kg wool levy reports The NZ Farmers Weekly. She got overwhelming support for a remit to MWNZ's annual meeting in Gore recently, with 10,070 votes for and only 427 against. It called for a full, detailed breakdown of the use of wool levies since MWNZ was formed in 2004. "The level of detail required would enable levy payers to trace the spend to the specific projects and include detailed calculation of the return on the spend that Meat & Wool believe has been delivered to levy payers," the remit went on to say. MMNZ has reportedly already hired a consultant to prepare a cost benefit analysis of wool levy expenditure, which has displeased Wool Advancement Group (WAG) people. Munro attended a recent WAG meeting but she said no-one put her up to propose the motion, because it arose out of her passion for sheep farming after 30 years on Wairewa station, with husband Philip. "We have done our very best to produce wool we have pride in, but the returns would break your heart," she said.  Nor was the remit discussed with HD Farm Direct, the buyer, or H Dawson NZ, the exporter, who take Wairewa crossbred second shear for a US tennis ball manufacturer. The Munros believe a grand opportunity arising out of the tennis ball felt contract to promote NZ crossbred wool has never been taken. "We were disappointed the whole of that the story line could not have been carried further and utilised, not just for us, but for the whole wool industry and for tourism," Philip Munro said a year ago. Therefore his wife looks suspiciously on the new MWNZ recommendation to growers to re-commence $3-$4 million annual expenditure out of levy income on wool promotion.