Growing market for native breed wool

The market for native breed wool is growing as businesses are recognising its value and seeking it out for their products. Farmers and smallholders with native sheep are responding.

Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) chief executive Christopher Price highlighted increasing the use of native breed wool was good for the breeds and brought sustainability benefits, with a study it conducted last year suggesting native breeds retain a greater carbon content within fleeces.

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With the fleece of each breed having evolved to suit their historic location, wool from each of the UK's native sheep breeds has its own unique characteristics.

"For example, wool from native downland sheep breeds like the Norfolk Horn is excellent for cloth, bedding and futons, while Border Leicester wool is ideal in blends for knitting yarns due to its natural elasticity.

Native breeds

"Leicester Longwool wool is really versatile and great for knitting, rug making, tapestry, wall hangings, felting, weaving and soft furnishings," he said.

The active engagement of British Wool in providing logistical and practical support and advice has played an important role in helping smaller producers make the most of the potential opportunities. 

Through the network of the Portland Sheep Breeders Group, a group of farmers and smallholders have recently supplied a tonne of wool, with support from British Wool to The Wool Library. The Wool Library is an initiative aiming to nurture a regenerative wool economy by helping produce yarn and wool pieces which enhance the inherent value of British wool. The fine, short Portland wool is being used to create high quality and unique Portland wool tweeds, throws and knitting yarn. 

Hertfordshire smallholder Stephen Tricks led the project on behalf of the Portland Sheep Breeders Group.

He said the approach has delivered both on pride and price.

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"When RBST first mooted the project in 2021, the price per kilo from British Wool was very low. The system did not allow for the breed-specific qualities of the wool to be put to best use, and keepers with small flocks could not benefit from economies of scale," he said.

He added in its pilot year the wool had achieved a significantly better price as well as the ‘real pride' in seeing the wool used to make the products.

"The pilot was such a success that we are building on it this year, again supplying the Wool Library and with logistical support from British Wool, with a significantly larger group of participating breeders."

British wool bedding

Devon Duvets is a duvet business on the edge of Dartmoor. Devon Closewool farmers are selling fleeces, via British Wool, to the business for its Rare Breeds duvet range. The combination of softness and spring in Devon Closewool was ideal for luxury duvets which are individually handcrafted in the business's workshops.

Co-founder and owner, Pauline Beijen, said it was a ‘great quality material that fits perfectly with our ethos of producing the highest quality products through natural, sustainable processes and with local provenance at our core'.

"Importantly, it also supports the heritage of British farming," she said.

"We purchase through British Wool and its traceability programme, because this means it can be formally certified as authentic British wool and which supports fair pricing for the farmers we buy from."

Consumers are increasingly looking for natural, sustainable products and want to support British businesses and British farmers." 

For Dumfries and Galloway smallholder Rebecca McLellan, online retail has opened opportunities over the world. The business sells high-end, hand-crafted pieces using the fleece of her own Castlemilk Moorit sheep, along with fleece from other flocks, through her Chocflock enterprise.

Castlemilk Moorit

These fleeces were blended with native Shetland fleece to increase the volume before Ms McLellan works with a professional handweaver to create fabric.

She said the fabric was beautiful yet hard wearing, designed to be a ‘long lasting, cherished piece of clothing'.

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The products were in demand worldwide, heading to destinations including Chicago and Brussels.

"The quality of the produce and the Castlemilk Moorit narrative has universal appeal, scarcity is appealing, and people love the colours," she said, adding the business was ‘perfect' for their small flock and gathering together as co-operatives.

Ms McLellan said the retail approach was ‘digital, but farmgate', with products sold via the Chocflock website and Etsy. Interest was secured through social media, fibre festivals and word of mouth, with customers also valuing talking to the people behind the products.