Trade

Jemalong to launch first non-mulesed wool auction catalogue

Terry Sim, November 16, 2020

Jemalong Wool managing director and NCWSBA president Rowan Woods.

LEADING New South Wales wool broker Jemalong Wool will next week offer what is believed to be the first segregated non-mulesed section in an Australian auction catalogue.

From Sale 22 next week, the first section of every Jemalong Wool auction catalogue for Merino fleece, skirtings and oddments and crossbred fleece next Wednesday will be for fully declared non-mulesed lots.

Jemalong Wool is the third biggest broker in Sydney and the ninth largest nationally. Wool from declared ceased mulesed and mulesed with pain relief sheep will still be listed in the general catalogue.

Jemalong Wool managing director Rowan Woods said hoped all other selling brokers followed the initiative and also offer non-mulesed wool in a separate catalogue.

He is hoping the initiative will make premiums for non-mulesed wool easier to identify and increase the amount of non-mulesed wool that is declared via the National Wool Declaration.

The move has been commended by G Schneider Australia managing director Tim Marwedel and Endeavour Wool Exports trading manager Josh Lamb.

“By allocating all NM wool into a designated section of their catalogue, Jemalong Wool has recognised the commercial interest in NM wool production.

“Customer interest in the mulesing status of quality Australian wool, in particular those non-mulesed, is growing rapidly,” Mr Marwedel said.

“By allocating a specific section of their catalogue to NM production, Jemalong is encouraging traceability.

“This will help us to confidently source NM wool in the Jemalong wool catalogue,” he said.

“They have acknowledged the interest shown by the buyers and acted accordingly.”

Mr Lamb said by creating a separate section in the auction catalogue, Mr Woods is demonstrating the importance of NM wool in today’s market place.

“This also shows he is listening to his other customers ‘the exporter’.

“Jemalong Wool are also one of several regional Brokers who  only sell wool with a completed NWD, another great initiative in promoting best practice transparency in the wool industry.”

Mr Lamb said it would be great to see all brokers put this much emphasis on NM wool and the importance of completing the NWD correctly.

“Australia is behind the eight ball to other wool producing countries in this space and any promotion thinking outside the usual box can only help our industry catch up quicker.”

Mr Woods said Jemalong Wool boasts an adoption rate of declared lots in its catalogue of more than 90 percent with 100pc declaration for grower lots offered in the premium catalogue.

“Now we want to take that premium catalogue Section to the next level by identifying all lots meeting the criteria but which are also non-mulesed.

“Currently, these lots are offered in amongst all other lots, including ceased mulesed and mulesed,” he said.

“We are simply responding to what the industry and our non-mulesing clients are asking for.”

Significant volumes of non-mulesed wool sold in the north

Mr Woods said the disappointing thing is that the headlines are only negative when it comes to mulesing, when there are a significant number of producers who have already eliminated the practice.

“Just as we chose to highlight growers with a separate catalogue section for fully declared, now we are highlighting those clips who are not only well-prepared, and declared, but are also not mulesed.”

Mr Woods, who is also president of the National Council of Wool Selling Brokers of Australia said there is now a significant volume of non-mulesed wool being offered for sale in Australia, particularly in the northern region.

“But we are missing the opportunity as an industry to declare this to the world.

“Rather than allowing the world to focus on what we are not doing, we need to refocus on what we are doing.”

Referring to the table below, Mr Woods said when ceased mulesed lot figures are included, in the northern region, the weekly lots offered are nearer to 30pc.

“It’s disappointing that other regions are so far behind.”

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Comments

  1. Don mudford, November 17, 2020

    Well done Jemalong! Will you be offering wool from freeze branded sheep, as it is called non-mulesed by AWEX? I hope not.

  2. Chick Olsson, November 17, 2020

    Well done Rowan and Jemalong. Excellent concept and giving what the customer wants is always a good option. All our wool, whether mulesed or non-mulesed has a home, and I truly hope all those plain breech breeders get seriously rewarded for their incredible efforts.

  3. Paul Favaloro, November 16, 2020

    Well done Rowan and the Jemalong team. Our industry needs leaders like you with such initiative to move us forward. From little things big things grow.
    This is making life so much easier for our industry. The need for a buyer to comb through a catalogue to fill their orders of non-mulesed wool will now be a thing of the past. Notwithstanding, the wool still needs to be up to specification. \
    As other brokers follow, the total number of non-mulesed bales available in a sale will be clearly accessible. For too long there has been little indication of the volume of non-mulesed wool available. I have no doubt you will be rewarded.

  4. Jim Gordon, November 16, 2020

    Rowan Woods, great work. Well done. Working to the future, instead of working to promote the status quo – AWI. At last, we will be able to show the retailers, brands and welfare groups, that we are one hundred percent behind producing a product that the trade desires. No freeze branded wool included, please.
    This diabolical desire to keep breeding sheep that have hard wrinkle and therefore need to be mulesed or freeze branded is the craziest thing. Get the hard wrinkle of your sheep and you can stop any form of breech modification. It is that simple.
    Why is everyone so stuck on this type of Merino? It is yesterday’s sheep. For no other reason, think of the shearer that has to chisel the green, blue, dermo, maggots and wool off these sheep.

  5. Jason Gordon, November 16, 2020

    Well done Jemalong Wool. Finally some separation in the selling industry to give buyers a real chance to put there $ where there preferences are.
    All the companies wanting non-mulesed wool here it is. Now is a great time for companies to back the producers who are producing what you say the market wants. Dollar$ talk.

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