On the subject of understanding merino wool manufacturing in New Zealand there are a few key uncertainties, specifically the quantity and the fibre diameter distribution. For quantity we start with wool export knowledge. New Zealand wool export data is accessible on the wonderful Beef+Lamb New Zealand web site (see extra right here). For the fibre diameter distribution, one of the best data is accessible on the NZWTA web site (see extra right here).
The micron profiles supplied by NZWTA are reproduced in Determine 1, and are assumed to be an affordable illustration of the New Zealand merino clip. The profile is proven from 2005 onwards in 10 12 months intervals. Word the profile makes use of micron ranges that run for a complete micron, for instance 19.1 to twenty.0 micron in distinction to the Australian knowledge which is report from half to half micron eg 19.6 to twenty.5 micron. It exhibits the New Zealand merino clip to have fined up, with 18.5 micron collapsing from 32% to 13% of the merino clip however then beginning to improve markedly on the broad fringe of the micron distribution (22.5 micron and broader rising 1.5% to 11% up to now decade). The Mecardo article in December (see article right here) confirmed a giant improve within the proportion of the crossbred clip 25 micron and finer. So, there’s something occurring within the 22-24 micron class manufacturing in New Zealand.
Determine 2 exhibits the change between 2005 and 2025 for the NZWTA merino micron distribution, and the comparable Australian public sale quantity merino distribution (the place the micron classes will be extracted to line up with the New Zealand knowledge). For New Zealand the 17.5 to 19.5 micron classes have been the massive losers with 16.5 micron and finer rising, as have the very broader micron classes. The Australian adjustments are easier, elevated 18.5 micron and finer proportions and fewer 19.5 micron and broader.
Determine 3 compares the micron distribution for the NZWTA merino profile and Australian merino public sale volumes in 2024-25. The New Zealand merino clip is finer, with a broader micron tail.
As talked about earlier, the opposite uncertainty is merino manufacturing. New Zealand wool export knowledge is damaged into 4 micron classes as proven in Desk 1. In previous a long time the tremendous wool class would have supplied a great estimate of merino manufacturing however wool has develop into finer, not just for merino but in addition for crossbred as Mecardo mentioned in early December. That is the place the estimations start in earnest as some 11% of the New Zealand crossbred clip is 24.5 micron and finer and a few 11% of the merino clip is 22.5 micron and broader. There may be a variety of manufacturing within the 23-25 micron vary, which has appeared up to now decade, the place the merino and crossbred clips cross over.
Within the export knowledge the tremendous wool class accounts for 12% of exports in 2024-25. To permit for the substantial tremendous crossbred manufacturing requires allocating solely half of the tremendous wool exports to the merino clip, which limits it to round 35-36,000 farm bales round 5-6% of the export quantity. This compares to the northern tablelands in NSW (together with Traprock) which produced 46,000 farm bales of merino wool final season.
