Wool prices warm as summer arrives

In Sydney, Merino fleece recorded broad gains, with the 17 MPG rising 15¢ to 2133¢, the 18 MPG lifting 13¢ to 2013¢, and the 19 MPG jumping 40¢ to 1909¢. Crossbreds were mixed, with the 28 MPG easing 15¢ to 645¢, while northern cardings closed 2¢ higher at 807

Melbourne posted similar strength, with the 20 MPG rising 13¢ to 1828¢ and the 21 MPG gaining 13¢ to 1819¢. Crossbred categories were largely steady, highlighted by the 28 MPG finishing 1¢ higher at 666¢. Southern cardings finished 14¢ higher at 759¢

Fremantle was also stronger. The 19 MPG increased 6¢ to 1864¢, the 20 MPG rose 13¢ to 1830¢, and the 21 MPG lifted 8¢ to 1810¢. Other Merino indicators in the west also recorded small to mid-teen rises, and cardings closed 16¢ higher at 777¢

This week in Mecardo, Andrew Woods examined 12 months of sale data to assess non-mulesed (CM/NM) and pain-relief (AA) declarations across the states (see article here). He found Tasmania clearly leads, with around 50% of its clip declared CM/NM, while nationally, 24% of all wool and 18.7% of Merino wool is CM/NM. Pain relief remains far more common, used on roughly 40% of the national clip and just over 50% of the Merino clip. His analysis also showed that around 30% of Australia’s wool still arrives mulesed or undeclared, and with AA uptake slowing in recent years, future progress will likely hinge on how strongly markets continue to reward improved welfare declarations.