A group of local development companies have joined forces for an analysis and development project to increase the value of wool.

The development companies, covering Galway (east and west), Kilkenny, Clare, north Tipperary, and north Kerry, have partnered to support the development of Irish sheep wool as a sustainable commercial product.

The ‘Wool Partnership’ have set the following foundations for their work:

To work towards adding value to the existing sheep wool produce in a range of products which can use fleeces that are currently typically produced in Ireland;
To support the development of a value-chain, from processors to the production of yarn and garments for high-quality fabric wool fleece.

Steve Dolan, chief executive of Galway Rural Development (GRD), said that "for years the Irish sheep farmer has been focused on the production of meat".

"This has resulted in most fleeces being unsuitable for high-value fabric production.

"Indeed, fleeces are often a secondary by-product or are seen as a waste product. We want to change that," he said.

Declan Rice, chief executive of Kilkenny Leader Partnership, said the group wants to "support developments outside of the main agriculture element".

“There is a wide range of potential ‘value add’ areas for wool including product development, nature-based solutions on and off farm, tourism developments, and circular economy projects," he said.

Conor Carty, LEADER manager at GRD, added that the partnership is "undertaking a feasibility study to produce the optimum pathways to move towards high-quality wool production".

"We have brought together industry experts like Pat Byrne (Agile Executives), Tim Yeomans (Munster Technological University), and Ngaire Takano (Het Woolly Collectief)," he said.

The six partners on the project are: Galway Rural Development CLG (Project Lead Partner), FORUM Connemara, Kilkenny LEADER Partnership, Clare Local Development Company, North Tipperary Development Company, and North East and West Kerry Development.