3 Sep 2009

Call to continue fine wool levy

12:55 pm on 3 September 2009

Rejection of a wool levy by sheep and beef farmers has brought a call to fine-wool growers to consider setting up their own levy system.

While farmers agreed to keep paying sheepmeat and beef levies to Meat & Wool New Zealand, it will not wool money from April next year to fund activities such as research, monitor farms and training.

But Federated Farmers vice-president Donald Aubrey thinks it's important to keep that sort of industry-good funding going in the fine wool sector.

Under the current system, the farmer body, Merino New Zealand Inc commissions research and other industry-good work using levy money provided by Meat & Wool.

Mr Aubrey says that's worked well and he's confident there would be strong support among fine wool growers to continue a levy system to help lift their returns.