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Background
For many years, wool has been in the doldrums, with farmers getting such low prices for their wool that they have not even been able to cover the cost of clipping. The price has gone up recently but this is mainly on the back of a declining sheep flock nationally and across the world. We have even seen the development of so-called 'easy care' sheep that do not need clipping but shed their wool naturally. This seems a shocking waste of an amazing natural, renewable resource that was once one of Britain’s largest exports. Fewer sheep also threatens to impact on the ‘management’ work they do maintaining some of our best-loved landscapes, and of course we are constantly working to help livestock farmers achieve decent returns for their produce.
In January HRH The Prince of Wales launched a three-year Campaign for Wool to focus attention on the green and unique credentials of wool and hopefully boost demand from consumers, retailers, designers, builders - in fact everyone who could conceivably use or buy wool. This campaign brings together all the wool producing nations as well as major retailers such as John Lewis and M&S. The campaign is quickly gathering pace and a week of woolly activity is planned for October.
Public Petition
As part of this wider campaign, North East sheep farmers (NFU North East) launched a public petition calling on the organisers of the London 2012 Games to provide a showcase for wool. The obvious medium is in carpets/upholstery etc in the new buildings being commissioned, but other ideas include making any ‘red carpets’ used from wool, providing wool-rich mattresses for athletes or even getting a commemorative badge or brooch made from wool for every competitor in the Games.
This petition has caught people’s imagination and support is growing to get a commitment from the Games organisers to showcase British wool in some way. The Olympics presents a tremendous opportunity to showcase the best of British and wool has surely earned its place! Historically, the wealth of the nation was built on wool and today it offers us a superb environmentally friendly resource that offers a range of unique properties. Some 50,000 farming families produce wool and even today thousands of people are employed in the wool textile industry.
Gaining a commitment from the Olympic organisers will not be easy, so every bit of support is welcome.
Petition Wording
British wool is produced by more than 50,000 sheep farmers across the UK rearing a huge variety of sheep breeds that thrive on different landscapes. Wool is completely natural and biodegradable and comes from a renewable and sustainable source. It has a heritage spanning many centuries and today it is vital to the thousands employed in the British wool textile industry.
Given its green credentials, its natural qualities and its importance to the British sheep sector, we the undersigned call on the organisers of the 2012 Olympic Games to ensure they provide a showcase for one of the nation’s most enduring, unique and environmentally friendly products.
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