NICE May 7, 2012 NICE stands for the Nordic Initiative, Clean and Ethical
With over 8,000 signatories since its launch in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate 
citizenship initiative. In an innovative partnership, the UN Global Compact used the Copenhagen Fashion Summit to launch its first sectorial initiative, a code of conduct for the entire fashion industry. Continue reading
Selling wool to the kiwis
ABC Rural
| By Elliott Dunn | Tuesday, 08/05/2012
A small number of Australian sheep producers have recently agreed to sell their wool to New Zealand Merino, a growers co-operative based in Christchurch. Continue reading
WeeklyTimesNow Brian Clancy | May 4, 2012
Commercialisation is a big word, and apparently not easily understood in wool circles. Or at least not easily understood in the boardroom of Australian Wool Innovation.
The issue is ongoing funding to the Sheep Cooperative Research Centre’s information nucleus flock. Continue reading
Canberra Times | John Thistleton | May 7, 2012
A large-scale regional farmer is selling most of his property’s merino wool clip this year to a New Zealand growers’ co-operative. Oxton Park, at Harden, is the first of a handful of Australian producers to sign contracts with New Zealand Merino, which guarantees garments are ethically produced. Continue reading
Manawatu Standard and Stuff NZ Apr
il4, 2012 After getting through the recession, luxury suit maker Reda is encouraging New Zealand merino farmers to face change head-on.
The Italian company, which makes fine woollen fabrics for men’s suits and has entered the activewear market, had to make difficult decisions when the European economy soured. Continue reading
Stuff.co.nz April 4, 2012 Merino meat is now found on the menus of 35 top-end restaurants around the country. The branded meat is a joint venture by the New Zealand Merino Company and Silver Fern Farms (SFF), with more than 170,000 lambs and hoggets committed to the merino meat programme in three-year contracts. Continue reading
Stock Journal | BY DEANNA LUSH |03 May, 2012 03:30 AM
WOOL industry groups have heaped pressure on Australian Wool Innovation to reverse its decision to withdraw funding support for the Information Nucleus Flock program.
The program started in 2007, is managed by the Sheep CRC, and funded by AWI, Meat & Livestock Australia and the Australian Meat Processors Corporation. It provides data for Australian Sheep Breeding Values used by more than 70 per cent of terminal and maternal ram breeders but only 30pc of Merino ram breeders. Continue reading
Weekly Times | Brian Clancy | May 2, 2012
SHEEP numbers are tipped to reach 77.4 million head in 2012-13, according to the latest national clip forecast. But despite a predicted lift of 3 million, or 4.2 per cent, the Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee is tipping only a small increase of 1.4 per cent in the clip to 350 million kilograms – equal to almost two million bales. Continue reading
AWTA provide the following report on volumes of tested wool. The progressive year to date comparisons of tested wool for July 2011 – April 2012 compared with the same period last season are:
Lots-1.3%, Bales -2.8% Weight-3.4% .
Progressively AWTA Ltd has tested 309.6 mkg (million kilograms) this season compared with 320.3 mkg for the equivalent period last season.
Otago Daily Times April 28 2012
Supply contracts are “gold” for farmers.That is the message from the New Zealand Merino Company before its conference in Christchurch on Monday.
As commodity prices started to slide, the primary industry was once more reminded that commodity complacency was a “huge risk” to the country’s economy. Continue reading
Stock and Land BY DEANNA LUSH | 30 Apr, 2012 04:00
Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells pictured with Hamilton woolgrower Michael Blake.
WOOLGROWERS would be better served by more smaller grower groups focused on innovative marketing rather than a blanket approach from a large statutory body like AWI, says stud breeder and author Charles Massy.
Mr Massy – who researched and wrote sell-out books The Australian Merino and Breaking the Sheep’s Back – believed the Australian wool industry should be aggregating and marketing fibres based on specific traits that would deliver best performance to customers in processing, such as topmaking and spinning. Continue reading
Weekly Times | April 30, 2012
THEY roam northwest NSW in unforgiving packs – a snarling plague of wild dogs costing graziers tens of thousands of dollars a year.
With the cost of dog attacks on livestock spiralling out of control, authorities and landholders are taking up the fight, The Daily Telegraph reports. Continue reading
