Stakeholders in the Irish Grown Wool sector have announced the establishment of a ‘Wool Research & Innovation Hub’ intended to provide research, development, and innovation support to support farmers, sole traders, enterprises, and those wishing to make best use of this natural Irish grown resource.

The Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine; Review of Market Opportunities for Irish Grown Wool Based Products 2022 report states that across the world, natural fibres are receiving attention for their sustainability and unique natural properties. Sheep’s wool is no exception and is one of the natural and renewable resources widely used in a range of applications and a unique composition that makes it applicable to many markets including horticulture, packaging, insulation, textiles, cosmetics, filled products and composites.

Wool is currently seen as an undervalued by-product of lamb meat production in Ireland, and it costs more to shear a sheep than would be received in revenue for the fleece. When additional costs, such as scouring (cleaning) the fleece are factored in, it currently makes for an uneconomic business model. Opportunities exist to develop products from sheep’s wool, but technical expertise is required to support these developments. A dedicated panel of experts have merged to create the Wool Hub that will signpost:

• Collaborative R&D partnerships
• Access to mentoring services
• Knowledge transfer activities

The purpose of the Wool Hub is to bridge the gap between idea and execution, though new product research and innovation, enhancing the perceived value of Irish wool and ensuring a fairer return to Irish farmers.

Eve Savage, Manager of the Circular Bioeconomy South West Cluster at MTU (Munster Technological University) said “There is a unique opportunity for Ireland to accelerate innovation and develop this undervalued indigenous material. The sector has been recognised by government as a growth area with the planned establishment of an Irish Grown Wool Council to champion the Irish grown wool brand domestically and internationally. The Wool Hub is a fantastic parallel initiative, and the current members are already identifying funding options to address a range of sectoral challenges. Expertise areas that the panel bring to the table include; design, innovation, processing technologies, biotechnology and textile innovation, and the Wool Hub is keen to add to this skill set and we are inviting additional collaborators to join us.”