NZ Board Gives Total Support To NZ PAC Facility

New technology paves the way forward for NZ merino growers

Merino New Zealand board chairman John Perriam says recent publicity regarding the OFDA 2000 in-shed wool testing technology should not be confused with the benefits of the organisation¹s NZ PAC facility in Christchurch.

The Product Advancement Centre, commonly referred to as PAC, has been given the total support of the Merino New Zealand board, and Mr Perriam says it has much to offer all growers.³PAC is more than a wool testing operation and is based on maximising grower returns, supplying information back to growers to assist with breeding decisions and optimising production on-farm.

It is capable of accurately accumulating fibre for specific grower contracts and has evolved to meet pressure from our leading customers for standardisation and consistency in the way our New Zealand merino clip is processed,² he says.³

The investment in PAC has already stimulated great interest from the international textile industry, and allowed us to forge ahead with our marketing. We now have additional points of difference which set New Zealand merino aside from the competition, and place it at the exclusive end of the international fibre market,² he says.³

I see the NZ PAC facility as yet another example of the high level ofinnovation within our industry. This adds further value to the internationalmarket¹s perception of new Zealand as a producer of leading merino fibre,and shows how our growers are prepared to push the boundaries in order tomeet customer requirements.²

While part of his clip underwent the in-shed OFDA testing, a substantialportion has also been sent to PAC, allowing closer scrutiny of both methods, and providing feedback on OFDA¹s reliability and accuracy while gaining the substantial information that PAC provides on individual fleeces.

In addition to this, PAC will also be introducing a new innovation next week, whereby oddments and pieces will be graded to optimise micron breaks, leading to higher returns from oddments.

³The board of Merino New Zealand offers its full support to any innovationand technology which will add value to the New Zealand clip, and furtherenhance its stature within the international marketplace,² Mr Perriam says.³OFDA 2000 is an exciting new piece of technology, but not yet totallyproven.

PAC has trialed this technology as part of its ongoing programme ofresearch and development.²Mr Perriam believes the potential for both PAC and OFDA to work together forthe betterment of the New Zealand merino clip is exciting for the industry.While OFDA (optical fibre diameter analyser) measures micron of the fleece, giving an accurate picture of the staple from tip to butt, PAC is able to provide in-depth information on every fleece tested including fibre diameter, CVd, curvature, unskirted and skirted weight and yield.

This season PAC will be processing 400,000 fleeces with 30% or 120,000 of these fleeces being processed on the “PAC Prepared” line. For more information, contact: John PerriamChairmanMerino NZ BoardPh 03 4452 769

JamiesonAccount DirectorDurning CommunicationsUnit 4, 75 Gloucester StPO Box 756CHRISTCHURCHPh: +64-3-365-2579DDI: +64-3-377-7886Mob: 025-229-9268Fax: +64-3-377-7172email: kirsty@durning.co.nz

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