Capless wool packs in three years

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 286, 9 May 1989, Page 9

Capless wool packs in three years

New Zealand wool exported overseas will have to be packed in capless packs from the beginning of the 1992/93 season.

The decision was announced recently by Wool Board chairman pat Morrison, to members of the Meat and Wool Boards' Electoral Committee. The Wool Board has decide to permit the importation and unrestricted use of capless packs, Mr Morrison said.

Imports of conventional packs, which have separate caps, would be phased out by 30 September 1990, while all wool exported from New Zealand from 1 July 1992 would be required to be in capless wool packs. The Board would endeavour to have all wool used within New

Zealand in capless packs one year later, from July 1 1993. Explaining the move, Mr Morrison noted that while the New Zealand wool industry had kept abreast of development in processing, specifying and marketing wool, it had sometimeS let itself down in the way the product was packaged. "A fibre that sells for

$1000 a bale demands top standards of packaging," the chairman said. "We have on several occasions drawn criticism from the International Wool Textile Organisation, IWTO, that our packaging quality does not equal that of Australia," he said. "Individual customers had complained about New Zealand's conven-

tional packs. The separate caps, and the sewing twine, could become mixed up in wool for processing and this contamination sometimes caused damage exceeding the value of the wool itself." Since early 1987, extensive trials of capless wool packs had been held in the South Island, Mr Morrison

told electoral committee members. these trials had shown that economic conversion of wool presses to handle capless bales was possible. Capless packs offered cost advantages for

growers, although for those with less than 2500 sheep, such advantages would be medium term rather than short term, Mr Morrison said.

Capless packs

From page 9 "Modifying farm presses is quite simple, and the cost is between $200 and $500, depending on the system used," said Mr Morrison. "The Board is looking at ways to minimise this cost to farmers." Although imports of conventional packs will be phased out by September 1990, the Board does not expect supply of these packs to dry up overnight.

Supplies should cover the 1990/91 season, and thereafter recycled packs should still be available for those growers who prefer to delay their conversion. Mr Morrison said he was sure the quality improvement for customers represented by the packs would be welcomed by brokers, scourers and central wool facilities. The boards would be talking with them immediately, in order to minimise any misunderstanding and erase the transition.