January 13, 2021 10:13 am
Following a call for nominations by Ulster Wool to represent wool producers in Northern Ireland, Brendan Kelly has been returned unopposed as board member for a further three years.
Kelly, who farms in Randalstown, Co. Antrim, was first elected onto the board in 2018 with the new term of office, running until March 31, 2024.
‘A challenging 12 months’
Kelly said: “I am delighted to continue to represent the sheep farmers of Northern Ireland on the board and I will work tirelessly to raise the profile of Ulster Wool to help return a better price for our wool through this difficult time.
The closure is one of four depots to be lost amidst a depressed market for wool. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant detrimental impact on the global wool market and despite the fact that British Wool has cleared the 11million kg of unsold wool they had at the end of April the market remains extremely challenging. Andrew Hogley, acting CEO explains: “British Wool has managed to sell wool in decent volumes since August which has allowed us to clear last season’s unsold stock but prices are still severely depressed. The global market faces an oversupply of cross-bred wool, this is mainly from New Zealand but also from other European markets.
Farmers urged to fill sheep breed survey before deadline
7 January 2021 |
The survey seeks to explain the structure of the UK sheep industry
Sheep farmers across the UK are being encouraged to complete the British Sheep Breed Survey 2020 before the 11 January deadline.
This investigation into the UK breeding flock has been undertaken since 1971 to record the number of sheep within each breed, their distribution and mating structure.
The last survey took place in 2012 and its report showed new breeds that were not recorded previously, the changing influence of crossbred ewes and rise of certain terminal sire and lowland breeds.
AHDB, British Wool, Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), Signet and Quality Meat Scotland have produced the latest version of the survey.