Canada
Canada - affordable solution ‘We are looking forward to demand returning to some form of normality in the near future and look forward to resuming trade with our traditional markets in China, Europe, USA and South America’, says Eric Bjergso, General Manager at Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited (CCWG). ’Like the rest of the world, COVID-19 has made trading very difficult. Although some provinces in Canada have been more affected than others we are getting back to a more workable normal’. ‘Our retail farm supplies business was considered an essential service so this has kept us quite busy. Our retail clothing business closed to foot traffic mid March but reopened in June. We have seen significant growth in our ecommerce business, which has been positive for us, although most agricultural events in Canada have been cancelled for 2020’. Most Canadian wool is blended with wools from other origins. It can also be used on its own for a variety of products that favour
micron. With the closure of Yocom McColl Wool Testing Lab in Denver, Colorado, all graded Canadian wool is now objectively measured by the New Zealand Wool Testing Authority.
Eric Bjergso
coarser wool types. It is known for its highly elastic and soft handle characteristics that are recognized by manufactures as an advantage, particularly for shape retention. 90% of Canadian wool is exported to the United States, China, India, Czech Republic, Egypt and Bulgaria. ‘Processors that create blends using Canadian wool see it as a quality option and a cost effective solution to maintaining production standards. Sheep are not mulesed in Canada’, he says. Most of the Canadian wool clip ranges from 29 – 34 micron with a smaller production of 22 – 26
‘We have been accepting wool at our collection depots and grading so that we have wool ready for sale when there is an opportunity to do so. Shortage of warehouse storage space will soon become an issue that we will have to address’. CCWG grades and markets close to 1.5 million kilos of raw wool each year, in each of the three general grades of wool, (fine, medium and coarse). Wool volume handled by CCWG increased by almost 10% in 2018 compared to the previous year and remains steady in 2020. ‘It is difficult to predict when the market will start to recover. However our wool production in Canada remains consistent, mainly due to very good market prices for sheep and lamb meat that have kept sheep numbers stable’.
WWW.REALWOOLSHOP.CA WWW.PREMIER-CHOIX.CA
96 | wool2yarnglobal 2020
