Copa and Cogeca have published a new position paper highlighting the urgent need to re-evaluate the valorisation of wool in Europe. Despite its numerous valuable qualities as a natural, renewable, and biodegradable material, organizations warn that wool is increasingly being treated as a burden. The newly released document calls on EU policymakers to immediately remove the regulatory barriers that currently prevent wool from being fully exploited as a sustainable, circular, and renewable agricultural resource.
The latest position paper from Copa and Cogeca, the organizations representing European farmers and agri-cooperatives, focuses on unlocking the untapped potential of wool. The document points out a critical paradox: while wool perfectly aligns with modern sustainability goals, European farmers face significant legal and administrative obstacles in their daily operations.
Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009: When a Natural Material Becomes a Burden
A major source of the sector’s difficulties stems from current EU legislation. The paper specifically highlights Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 concerning animal by-products.
Under this regulation, raw wool sheared from healthy animals is classified in a manner that imposes disproportionate constraints on the entire supply chain. Specifically, this legal classification severely restricts the wool’s:
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Handling
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Marketing
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Practical use
Collapsing Prices and a Weakened Value Chain
The consequences of these stringent regulatory constraints have been devastating for the European wool value chain. The Copa-Cogeca analysis identifies the following specific market crises exacerbating the situation:
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Price Collapse: Wool prices have plummeted to the point where they frequently fail to cover even the most basic shearing costs for farmers.
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Capacity and Export Issues: The crisis is further worsened by limited processing capacity within the EU and the sudden closure of key export markets.
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Stockpiling and Waste: Consequently, farmers are forced into stockpiling wool on their farms, leading to the widespread and environmentally inconsistent practice of disposing of raw wool simply as waste.
The organizations emphasize that treating a natural resource this way is economically unsustainable. Furthermore, it directly contradicts the EU’s own Bioeconomy Strategy and broader Circular Economy objectives.
Strategic Recommendations to Unlock Wool’s Potential
To reverse this damaging trend, Copa and Cogeca have formulated specific recommendations aimed at unlocking wool’s untapped potential. The proposed measures include:
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Revising Legal Classification: Changing how wool is legally categorized to remove unnecessary constraints.
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Encouraging Marketing and Valorisation: Making it easier to bring wool products to market.
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Promoting On-Farm Uses: Supporting local and practical applications for wool directly on the farms.
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Supporting Innovation: Driving new technological uses for the material.
By implementing these measures, the EU could successfully transform wool from a liability into a valuable co-product. This transformation would actively contribute to circularity, improve soil health, and boost overall farm sustainability.
A Call for Concrete EU Action
The concluding message of the position paper is clear: by removing unnecessary legal barriers, the EU has the power to turn a growing agricultural problem into a massive opportunity for sustainable farming. Therefore, Copa-Cogeca is demanding concrete action to be integrated within the framework of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and the upcoming EU Livestock Strategy.
Official Source and Reference:
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Copa-Cogeca Position Paper: Wool is not waste, it’s a resource! Time for the EU to remove legal barriers and boost the sector