Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for his question. I apologise to the House for being late. I was engaged on the Order of Business in the Dáil.

Wool production is an important component of the Irish agri-industry. There are approximately 45,500 sheep flock-keepers registered on my Department's database. The 2018 census returns indicate that a total of 3.73 million sheep were kept in the country at the end of December 2018, representing a decrease of 142,000 or 4% on the total number recorded in December 2017. Approximately 2.99 million sheep were slaughtered in 2018. On producing wool for sale, in general, the farmer outsources the shearing of the sheep and sells the wool to agents. Officials of my Department oversee and inspect 50 approved and registered wool stores where wool is held while awaiting sale.

Ireland produces excellent quality wool. The factors contributing to this include Irish genetic breeding standards, sheep welfare standards and the availability of quality Irish grass, water and nutritional supplementation on sheep farms. Irish sheep have a high animal health status, being free from sheep exotic diseases, including sheep pox, that, when present, downgrade wool quality. In addition, Irish sheep farms adhere to high biosecurity and quality assurance standards. The animal husbandry on sheep farms ensures that programmes are in place to control ectoparasites such as sheep scab that can downgrade wool quality if not controlled. All of these factors contribute to the excellent quality of Irish wool.In addition, while national policies such as the clean livestock policy and the Bord Bia assurance scheme for lamb focus on food policy, they impact directly on the quality and cleanliness of the wool. The cleanliness of a fleece is related to farming practices where the sheep originates, as well as being influenced by the stakeholders along the supply chain. All stakeholders can influence the cleanliness of the sheep fleece.

In an industry such as the wool industry, where prices tend to move in cycles, it is imperative the industry players ensure and promote a diversity of options for the product in the marketplace. Wool is used in fabrics, carpeting, bedding and insulation. It can also be used in gardening and makes an excellent compost. Another possibility for the use of wool is wool pellet production, which is an excellent organic fertiliser. The current market uncertainties should provide an impetus for the industry players to come together to see what business opportunities are out there and to try to promote the excellent product in as many markets as possible. Based on my contacts with the industry, I am aware of huge possibilities in developing the Japanese wool trade market and to that end, I provided the wool industry with a letter of support for its Japanese contacts confirming the excellent quality of Irish-produced wool. Market forces and market demand, as the Senator is aware, dictate price and while I understand there are issues with price at the moment, I wish to inform the Senator that at present I am not considering the establishment of a dedicated Irish wool forum as requested by him. However, my officials and I will of course consider any proposal the industry wishes to submit in this regard.