The Dumfries House Wool declaration signed

The Campaign for Wool and the International Wool Textile Organisation have presided over the signing of The Dumfries House Wool Declaration, witnessed by patron HRH The Prince of Wales, at the first ever wool conference that took place in Scotland last week.

The ‘Custodians of The Wool Industry’ declaration has been created to ensure that key players from shepherds to shop owners commit to protecting the environment and uphold the best possible practices for sheep welfare, commerce and industry.

The declaration agrees that the major wool growing countries conform to the strictest standards of animal welfare as embodied in the International Wool Textile Organisation specifications for wool sheep welfare, which includes freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, the freedom to express normal behaviour, and the freedom from fear and distress.

The conference also brought together the largest international gathering of wool experts and included a speech by Allan Savory, president and co-founder of The Savory Institute on livestock and its impact on its environment, while Marks and Spencer chief executive Steve Rowe said that the company would continue to champion wool in its collections.

Rowe said: “Marks and Spencer has been using wool for over 90 years, and throughout this time we’ve strived to keep innovating and expanding our wool offer, from when we introduced wool socks in 1926, to when we brought machine washable wool to the high street in 1972.

“Today, we are one of the leading retailers of wool items, this season alone we’ve bought over three million wool products and will use over 3,500 tonnes of wool throughout the year, confirming our commitment to championing wool as a preferred fabric across our collections.”

In addition, Prince Charles used to the conference to extend his patronage of The Campaign for Wool for a further five years to 2021.

“In general terms, wool prices are higher; sheep numbers are stable in most markets; designers are using more wool and there is a greater appreciation of wool’s many excellent qualities,” said Prince Charles. “And all that has led to generally higher morale in the wool industry. So despite some remaining storm clouds and challenges, the overall picture is considerably positive.”

Image: The Campaign for Wool