Political pressures continue to challenge confidence in the industry, especially in for higher-value fleeces, with traders working on a hand-to-mouth basis with their customers, PGG Wrightson’s South Island sales manager Dave Burridge said.
The market was decisively in buyers’ favour.
At the top-end Merino fleece was 2% to 5% cheaper than at the previous Christchurch sale and mid-micron wool was 2% to 4% cheaper.
The challenges continue for strong wools with 31-35 microns cheaper across the board and crossbred second shear also easier. The pass-in rate was 15%.
At the crossbred-dominated sale in Napier there were gains over the sale a fortnight earlier, PGW’s North Island auctioneer Steve Fussell said.
However, there was a very big problem with non-scourable wool and the auction struggled to get bids on those lines. The pass-in rate was 13%.
Christchurch sales, full wool, good to average colour, all prices/kg clean: 25 microns, $12.52, down 64c; 26, $10.85, down 75c; 27, $10.68, down 46c; 28, $9.59, down 19c; 29, $8.49, down 47c; 30, $7.07, down 5c; 31, $4.87, down 49c; 32, $4.70, down 21c; 33, $4.37, down 5c; 34, $3.05, down 15c; 35, $3.14, down 25c; 36, $3.22, up 7c; 37, $3.20, down 4c; 38, $3.25, steady; 39, $3.14, down 6c. Crossbred second shear: 33, 3-4 inches, $3.28, down 40c; 2-3 inches, $2.80, down 1c; 35, 3-4inches, $2.83, down 12c; 2-3 inches, $2.60, up 1c; 37, 3-4 inches, $2.90, steady; 2-3 inches, $2.55, down 7c; 39, 3-5 inches, $2.85, down 7c; 3-4 inches, $2.80, down 3c; 2-3 inches, $2.53, down 7c. Merino, best topmaking styles: 16, $21.55, down $1.05; 17, $21.64, down 73c; 18, $20.58, down 18c; 19, $20.16, down 31c; 20, $18.88, down 44c.
Napier sales: Full wool, good to average colour: 34, $3.08, up 6c; 36, $2.80, up 3c; 37, $2.82, steady. Crossbred second shear: 33, 3-4 inches, $3.41, steady; 2-3 inches, $2.68, down 7c; 35, 3-4 inches, $2.85, up 5c; 2-3 inches, $2.58, up 7c; 37, 3-4 inches, $2.91, up 23c; 2-3 inches, $2.59, up 9c; 39, 3-4 inches, $2.75, up 5c.
