Rachel Shearer, General Manager of PGW Wool, speaks with Jamie Mackay from The Country on market momentum, natural fibres, and the outlook for sheep farming.

Strong wool’s upward momentum continues, with the latest national wool sale delivering another significant lift and reinforcing growing confidence across the sector.

Speaking with Jamie Mackay on The Country, Rachel Shearer said improving wool prices, alongside strong sheep meat returns, are helping restore confidence in sheep farming’s place within New Zealand agriculture.

“Wool is definitely back,” Rachel said. 

The latest national sale saw the strong wool indicator rise 38 cents to around 670 cents clean, following another strong auction performance with 100 percent clearance. Since January alone, the indicator has climbed more than 150 cents, continuing a trend that has steadily strengthened over recent months. 

Natural fibres back in focus
While current prices are encouraging, Rachel believes the wider market environment today differs significantly from previous cycles.

Natural fibres are attracting renewed global attention, driven by sustainability concerns, changing consumer preferences, and increasing scrutiny around synthetic materials.

“There’s a generation coming through who are really concerned about what they’re wearing and the materials in the homes they’re living in,” Rachel said.

New legislation emerging in Europe, alongside broader conversations around health, sustainability, and fibre traceability, is helping strengthen demand for natural fibres internationally.

At the same time, synthetics are facing growing challenges.

“We’ve talked before about synthetics no longer being the cheap and reliable option they once were,” Rachel said. 

Combined with lower global sheep numbers, these factors are helping create what Rachel sees as a more sustainable foundation for wool demand than in previous market peaks.

Growing optimism for sheep farming
After years of declining sheep numbers, Rachel believes the sector may be nearing an important turning point.

“It’s not just wool that’s back, sheep meat prices are strong too. Sheep farming plays an important role in the New Zealand farming system,” she said. 

While cautious optimism has been a recurring theme throughout recent market updates, Rachel said she is now feeling increasingly optimistic that current price levels are underpinned by longer-term market shifts.

Oddments delivering unexpected value
One of the standout features of the latest market has been the strength of oddments.

Traditionally among the lower value parts of the wool clip, oddments are now attracting significantly stronger competition as buyers use them to meet manufacturing specifications.

“Buyers are blending to meet recipes required by the market, and oddments are playing an important role in that mix,” Rachel said. 

At the latest sale, some crossbred oddments broke the 600 cents clean mark, with one grower receiving more than double the return achieved for the same line last year. 

Building momentum
While no one is declaring the journey complete, recent market performance is continuing to reinforce confidence across the wool sector.

Stronger demand for natural fibres, tightening global supply, improving returns, and renewed confidence in sheep farming are all contributing to a markedly different outlook than just a few years ago.

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