19 March 1999
The
long and the short of it:
The Wool CRC sets out to dispel the myth
that longer length wools do not spin as well as conventional length wools
Longer length fine wools face unnecessary price
discounting in the marketplace but, under a new Wool CRC project, spinners
around the globe will have the opportunity to discover that longer Hauteur
is better. This is good news for growers, spinners and weavers who are
currently being denied the true economic benefit of the longer clip.
'It is an absurd situation', said project leader, Dr
Peter Lamb, senior principal research scientist with CSIRO Wool
Technology, 'because while being penalised, long wools actually enhance
spinning and weaving performance and improve yarn and fabric properties.
CSIRO research has shown that longer length tops give stronger, more even
yarns and better spinning, and yet the strong industry beliefs prevail
that "overlong" wools should be avoided.'
'It is very important that these beliefs be challenged
because breeding for increased fleece weight leads to long wool. Having
this wool discounted inhibits growers from increasing on-farm
productivity', Dr Lamb said.
A benefit/cost analysis shows that the improvements in
efficiencies and performance from long Hauteur wools will provide
considerable cost savings to spinning mills and a substantial return to
the grower through improved prices, even without the improved on-farm
productivity. Importantly, a sustainable increase in returns to growers
for wool with longer potential Hauteur would provide an incentive for them
to adopt new technologies aimed at producing stronger, longer fibre.
The CRC project is a collaborative venture involving the
wool research arm of CSIRO, Agriculture Western Australia (AgWEST) and
commercial interests here and overseas. AgWEST and CSIRO Wool Technology
are major research and resource contributors to the project. They are also
involved in sourcing the commercial wool lots for the trial, in
conjunction with the Australian Merino Society (AMS), and exporting and
processing company Lempriere (Australia).
Lempriere has just purchased 2 tonne of 18.5 micron wool
and the AMS is assembling a 20.5 micron lot. The lots will be processed in
Australia to 80mm+ tops by Austop in Parkes NSW and spun by Cerruti in
Italy, Toabo in Japan, Rivetex in Mexico, Woolworth (Uniworth Group) in
India and the International Fibre Centre at Geelong.
The Australian spinners - Australian Country Spinners and
Macquarie Worsteds - are already using long wools to gain improved
performance and have expressed support for the project.
CSIRO Wool Technology at its pilot plant in Geelong, will
spin small quantities of yarns from wool to be used in the commercial mill
trials to provide a benchmark for mill performance.
The cost of the project is $95,000, shared by the Wool
CRC, CSIRO Wool Technology and Agriculture WA. A combined additional
in-kind contribution of $16,000 is being provided by the Australian Merino
Society, Lempriere, Austop and the spinning mills.
A final report of the trial is expected in early
December.
Contact:
Dr Peter Lamb
CSIRO Wool
Technology
ph: 03-5246-4019
Dr Chris Oldham
AgWEST
ph:
089-368-3511
Dr Lionel Ward
Wool CRC Director
ph:
03-9416-5180
or: 0412-403-335
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