Government to fund wool research consortium

Wednesday 12th January 2011 1 Comment

A wool research consortium with the goal of lifting wool industry returns is to receive government funding.

The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology would contribute $8.6 million over five years, which would be matched by the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand Inc (WRInc), and other industry stakeholders, Research, Science and Technology Minister Wayne Mapp and Agriculture Minister David Carter said.

"The Government's investment in this consortium demonstrates its ongoing commitment to this important industry," the ministers said.

Carter said that increased research and development for the wool sector was one of the key recommendations of the Wool Taskforce, which presented its report last year.

The consortium's research strategy would focus on securing wool's position as a sustainable natural fibre, applying new technology to address historical obstacles to wool's use and finding new uses.

NZPA

Comments from our readers

On 13 January 2011 at 12:00 pm Tony Ryburn said:

In 2004 WRONZ MD Dr Carnaby reported that while wool-specific R&D funding had been reduced in line with recent grower funding, overall total contract revenue from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) is up. Sixteen years later wool is still in the doldrums. What return has FRST get on it's investment in wool resaerch ove all those years? When is it going to dawn on the powers that be that funding wool research is a waste of money?