The annual Shearing Day hosted by The Campaign for Wool in Canada and the Canadian Wool Council (CWC) brings industry advocates together to help raise awareness about Canadian wool. This year’s event was held May 3 at the farm of CWC board member Carole Precious, Chassange Farm, near Puslinch.
Canada is home to more than 800,000 sheep across more than 40 breeds.
Several dozen Shetland sheep were sheared by award-winning shearer Don Metheral from Great Lakes Shearing Co. in Glen Huron.
Why It Matters: Canadian farms produce approximately two million kilograms of wool annually.
Canadian Wool Council CEO Matthew Rowe told Farmtario that this event is an important educational experience for Canadians.
“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding of where wool actually comes from. The number of people that actually think that the animal has to die to be able to collect the fibre is uncomfortably high. This is a chance to be able to demystify some of the myths around shearing and to be able to show where the wool comes from and the beautiful environment that these animals live in,” Rowe said, adding that wool prices continue to be low, presenting challenges for some farmers.
He noted there are trade issues with the United States due to the two nations having an as an integrated industry with a lot of cross-border trade.
“The upset and instability in the trade relations with the U.S. is just adding another issue for fibre farmers to have to worry about,” he said.
The economic value of the Canada-U.S. wool trade spans multiple sectors, including raw fibre, textiles, furniture, and clothing. In 2022, Canada exported more than $1.3 million in wool products, equaling more than 620 metric tons of wool to the U.S., the country’s primary market. Annually, the two countries export approximately $1 billion in textile products.
Erin Morgan, executive director of Ontario Sheep Farmers, said the day also provides an opportunity to bring awareness to some of the issues facing sheep farmers on a more local scale.
Currently there are not enough people entering the sheep shearing industry to keep up with demand. As a result, she said, this made processing wool more challenging.
“I think one of the biggest challenges we are facing today is access to processing for sheep farmers to bring their product to market. Some other challenges are access to veterinarians,” she said. “That’s a big problem for sheep farmers and other large livestock farmers in Ontario. We just don’t have enough veterinarians in Ontario that treat livestock.”
Morgan noted that the industry is not facing the same challenges as others with regards to tariffs due to sheep and lamb market is domestic in nature.
“Very little of our product goes down to the United States, so for our members, the tariffs aren’t as big an issue as some of the other commodities in Ontario that rely on the U.S. market,” she said.
Value Added Products
Speaking to the wool market in Canada, Rowe added that Canada has unique climate conditions not found in other parts of the world that play a role in both quality and durability.
“Our climate creates a highly elastic and resilient wool. It’s a great blending wool, which is one of the reasons why, when it’s sold abroad, a lot of places will use Canadian wool to add loft to a yarn blend,” he said.
Rowe noted that Canadian wool is a medium coarse fleece that is soft on the skin, but can also be used for carpets and upholstery, which are found all over the world. He said the Council emphasizes the importance of value-added products. Its versatility is part of the appeal globally, adding that it is always critical to check the label to ensure you are getting a truly Canadian product.
