Prices remain at a low ebb but the move was heartening following gradual recent improvement, PGG Wrightson’s South Island sale manager Dave Burridge said.
The wool pipeline was moving through international markets without any stockpiles building up and a weaker NZ dollar, just below US$0.70, helped underpin the solid demand from a full gallery of buyers.
About 8500 bales were on offer and the low pass-in rate of 4% highlighted the demand and the move by farmers to meet the market for older wool, he said.
Lambs’ wool was especially well sought after, particularly in the 30 micron and stronger range of wools.
“They had a stellar sale,” Burridge said.
There was a wide range of wool types from older wool and new season’s fleece and an excellent offering of second shear and longer lambs’ wool.
Crossbred prices in the 31 to 35 micron range were 3% to 6% higher than at the sale on April 27.
Second-shear 33 micron wool was up to 10% dearer as was 33 micron lambs’ wool.
“We’d stress that the better prepared, skirted and presented wools are getting more demand than the fleece that is not so well presented,’’ he said.
Mid-micron, 22 to 30, wools are at record levels and sold well again on very limited volumes. With a good amount of wool coming in from shearing on North Canterbury farms in the next few weeks the outlook for those growers is very good.
Among the crossbred wools there are still significant South Island volumes held in store from last season but indications are that a lot of it might come out in the remaining four sales of the season.
Prices (all in microns per kilogram clean): Full wool, good to average colour: 26 micron, $13.75, up $1.10; 28, $10.18, up 47c; 29, $8.53, up 29c; 32, $4.55, up 18c; 33, $4.35, up 14c; 34, $3.91, up 9c; 35, $3.66, up 14c; 36, $3.64, up 14c; 37, $3.61, up 15c; 38, $3.62, up 16c; 39, $3.62, up 17c.
Crossbred second-shear: 33 micron, 3 to 4 inches, $4.25, up 22c; 2 to 3 inches, $4.10, up 39c; 35, 3 to 4 inches, $3.64, up 17c; 2 to 3 inches, $3.36, up 6c; 37, 3 to 4 inches, $3.57, up 22c; 2 to 3 inches $3.40, up 10c; 39, 3 to 5 inches, $3.49, up 15c; 3 to 4 inches, $3.45, up 21c; 2 to 3 inches, $3.33, up 16c.
Crossbred lambs’ wool: 27 micron, $7.65, up 60c; 28, $7.01, up 18c; 29, $5.82, up 2c; 30, $5.25, up 25c; 31, $4.40, up 19c; 32, $4.20, up 25c; 33, $4.18, up 39c.
