Wool Exporters Determined to Restore Woolgrower Prosperity

Wool Exporters Determined to Restore Woolgrower Prosperity

December 14

Exporters, better than anyone, understand the need to restore profitability back into the wool industry and should not be the politicians’ whipping boy, says the president of the Wool Exporters Council Mr John Dawson.

“In my experience I have never seen the independent interests of the wool industry more united. We have growers, private merchants, wool scourers, exporters, manufacturers and business entrepreneurs in absolute agreement and determined to improve the financial viability of wool growing.

“Through the National Council of New Zealand Wool Interests we are partnering with the International Wool Textile Organisation in a global campaign to build consumer awareness through the Prince Charles-inspired Campaign for Wool.

“It is completely unrealistic for New Zealand wool growers to be expected to go head-to-head with the massive budgets of the synthetic industry. We have to work smarter and by uniting with the other wool producing countries and what’s left of the wool-loyal manufacturing industry, we can present a global wool industry front.”

Mr Dawson, who is also general manager for New Zealand’s largest wool exporting company, was responding to comments by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr David Carter, who implied exporters were involved in distributing an open letter that asked a number of questions about his personal involvement and financial relationship with Wool Partners Co-operative.

“I can categorically state that the wool exporters’ council was not involved with the letter to Mr Carter,” Mr Dawson said. “Our public relations company offers its media distribution service to anyone who wants to engage them and we have no restraint of trade on them or exclusivity.“

Mr Dawson said the heart of the issue for exporters was a serious lack of information in the Wool Partners Co-operative Prospectus to raise $65 million and a belief that a co-operative structure may not be the right vehicle to drive the wool industry into a new era of profitability.

“From all of our collective experience we don’t think the Wool Partners Co-operative’s marketing philosophy will work and that once again grower money will be wasted in a repeat of the Wool Board.

“It’s wrong to say that the rest of the industry hasn’t done anything to promote or market New Zealand wool or that we exporters don’t care about the farmers. We have traditionally been held at arm’s length from talking to farmers by the wool broking industry, which has limited knowledge of what happens to wool after the fall of the auction hammer.

“That’s all changing now and I can assure farmers that once the Wool Partners Co-operative capital raising issue is resolved one way or the other, our members will become even more proactive,” Mr Dawson said.

ENDS

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