ICSA Sheep chair Sean McNamara has welcomed the official launch of the Irish Grown Wool Council (IGWC). “ICSA has fought hard to make this a reality since the establishment of our own Wool Steering Group in 2020, which we did in response to the total collapse of wool prices. The Wool Feasibility Study that followed recommended that a wool council be established, and this has now been achieved with the launch of the all-island Irish Grown Wool Council,” he said.

Two ICSA officers have been elected to the council; ICSA Sheep chair Sean McNamara and ICSA Organics chair Fergal Byrne.

Following the launch ICSA Organics chair Fergal Byrne said, “The Council is made up of a broad range of people involved in the wool sector. There are farmer representatives, shearers, merchants, crafters, representatives from industry, from textile manufacturing, as well as those engaged in research and education. Together we are focused on breathing life back into the wool sector while at the same time increasing the return to sheep farmers for their wool.”

ICSA Sheep chair Sean McNamara added, “Irish wool has been underappreciated and undervalued for far too long. I am hopeful that the formation of the Irish Grown Wool Council will signal a reversal of fortune for the sector.”

Mr McNamara said it remains regrettable that a wool action has not been included in the new the Sheep Improvement Scheme. “As part of ICSA’s campaign for greater supports for the sheep sector we are seeking a payment for shearing and presenting clean, dry wool for onward use. The payment rate under the Sheep Improvement Scheme needs to be increased significantly and a wool action should form part of that process. Such a payment would also provide a solid foundation for everything the Wool Council is trying to achieve, and it’s something that ICSA will continue to campaign for.”