Introducing IWTO’s New Grower Working Group 

Wool growers from across five continents came together in August 2025 for the inaugural meeting of the IWTO Grower Working Group, marking a significant step forward in international collaboration for wool producers.

The newly structured Working Group evolved from the longstanding Grower Forum at the Lille Congress in April 2025, transitioning to a formal IWTO working group with enhanced capacity to address shared challenges facing wool producers worldwide.

The Working Group brings together representatives from 17 wool-producing countries, from Australia and New Zealand to Peru, Mongolia, and Iceland. This global network enables growers to discuss critical issues affecting their operations, including environmental impacts, sustainable flock development, biosecurity, and animal welfare.

First Meeting Tackles Key Industry Challenges

Led by Chair Jo Hall and Vice Chair Simon Cameron, the first meeting brought together representatives from multiple continents to identify priority areas for collective action. Members raised critical issues including:

• Declining profitability and trade terms for wool producers
• Biosecurity threats across Europe, including Lumpy Skin Disease and Bluetongue
• Lack of organised wool collection systems in several European countries
• The need for growers to capture a greater share of the consumer dollar
• Integration of meat and wool production for diversified farm income

Within the group, a new European Wool Task Team was also created, to be chaired by Andrew Hogley. The European Wool Task Team will address collection, processing, and trading challenges facing European wool producers.

“By sharing experiences and working together across borders, our grower members can better navigate the challenges and opportunities facing wool production worldwide,” said Dalena White, IWTO Secretary General. “This Working Group provides a structured forum for wool growers to share knowledge, address common challenges, and represent the grower voice on the international stage.”

The Working Group will meet again at the Wool Round Table in Maseru, Lesotho in November 2025, with additional online meetings scheduled as needed.

Are you a wool grower and IWTO member interested in joining the Grower Working Group?

Contact the IWTO Secretariat at iwto@iwto.org to nominate your country representative or learn more about participation opportunities.

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