Danny Healy-Rae: Urges certification to save Irish wool industry
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about the crisis in Irish wool, warning sheep farmers are "only barely existing" and urging tighter certification and traceability to protect Brand Ireland. He called for metrics linking academic research funding to farm gate prices and pressed businesses to explain why they do not use Irish wool.
He recalled local history of wealth from wool, including a man who walked 550 sheep from Kilgarven to Waterford and families who prospered from wool. He said many modern sheep farmers are struggling, with younger farmers cutting flock numbers because shearing is too hard and returns from wool are too low.
He named local outlets and producers such as Avoca, a site in Malsgap between Kimmear and Sneem, and Edie's Mills between Kilgarven and Beaufort, noting multiple generations of production. He argued there is scope for Irish tweed, blankets and bedding to contain Irish wool and noted more sellers in Kerry now, but lamented the lack of Irish wool in many products.
He described practical road uses for wool - terram to stabilise open bogs and keep water down on shaky ground - and called it "shameful to be wasted" when such applications exist. He stressed that wool has multiple uses beyond ordinary day wear if properly processed.
He urged a close assessment of certification and traceability and demanded an end to what he called the misbranding of Brand Ireland, warning this damages the country's international trade reputation. He said tighter certification is central to restoring value for farmers and consumer confidence in Irish wool products.
He pressed for validation and metrics tied to academic research funding to show whether money raised farm gate prices for wool, asking why public funds are spent if outcomes are not measurable. He suggested the chamber should be given precise proposals and that businesses be asked why they do not use Irish wool.
Farming history and current pressures
He recalled local history of wealth from wool, including a man who walked 550 sheep from Kilgarven to Waterford and families who prospered from wool. He said many modern sheep farmers are struggling, with younger farmers cutting flock numbers because shearing is too hard and returns from wool are too low.
Local mills, sellers and product potential
He named local outlets and producers such as Avoca, a site in Malsgap between Kimmear and Sneem, and Edie's Mills between Kilgarven and Beaufort, noting multiple generations of production. He argued there is scope for Irish tweed, blankets and bedding to contain Irish wool and noted more sellers in Kerry now, but lamented the lack of Irish wool in many products.
Practical uses and waste
He described practical road uses for wool - terram to stabilise open bogs and keep water down on shaky ground - and called it "shameful to be wasted" when such applications exist. He stressed that wool has multiple uses beyond ordinary day wear if properly processed.
Certification, traceability and Brand Ireland
He urged a close assessment of certification and traceability and demanded an end to what he called the misbranding of Brand Ireland, warning this damages the country's international trade reputation. He said tighter certification is central to restoring value for farmers and consumer confidence in Irish wool products.
Research funding and measurable outcomes
He pressed for validation and metrics tied to academic research funding to show whether money raised farm gate prices for wool, asking why public funds are spent if outcomes are not measurable. He suggested the chamber should be given precise proposals and that businesses be asked why they do not use Irish wool.
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Transcript
What she's saying is to sacrilegious. What's going on? It is so very wrong. And I can remember all my young life being told of farmers and people who became very wealthy from wool. There was one man, he'd be close to Andres in the mountains of Eyncees, which is between the two of us. I think he was Michael, Big Dan Kellagher, and first of all, he accumulated enough money to buy a big farm in Waterford. And he walked 550 sheep that had 2,000 or 3,000 sheep between three or four brothers. And he walked 550 sheep all the way from Kilgarven down to Waterford. And his family are still farming there, but there was many others who made a lot of money. And we know now that sheep farmers are only barely existing. They're only barely existing. And that time, there was three or four million every year. They shared the wool themselves, but help has had got by now. And they couldn't actually pay them to take off from other things for a day to share their own wool. So they combine and get different fellows to do it. And then we have prime places for the opportunities to sell it. Like Avoka have a place up in Malsgap, down between Kimmear and Sneem. And Edie's Mills in Kilgarven, they're there for over 100 years, well, let's say. I think this is the fifth generation of Edie's Mills between Kilgarven and Beaufort. No Irish wool. Never have. Yeah, so then we have the quills, who have, from your side of the car side, but there's more of them in Kerry now, thankfully. And we're very glad of them. And they're selling a lot of clothes of all kinds and a lot of woolen products. But we have the objects if the thing was sorted out. And then what's another known use for wool is terram, for putting on the roads. I don't know if you're aware of that, but if you didn't have anything else, only wool, you could make a road open bog. And to keep the water down and stop the gravel or whatever from going down through it, make it over the shaky bog, no bother in the world. And often did. But it's shameful to be wasted like that. And it's great that this woman is so, how to say, outspoken about this, because someone needs to speak out about it. And I'm sure it would help farmers if they could get a proper price for wool. We know, I think I've said it earlier today, a lot of farmers now, younger farmers that are coming in, they're cutting down on the number of sheep because it's too hard for one man to manage big hills and valleys and linds and trying to get the sheep out of them. They're cutting down. And wool is one of the reasons, because they can't manage to shear them and have anything out of it. And so that's one of the reasons they're cutting back. So if there's anything that we should be told precisely what we should be doing here inside of this place, because this is where policies start from. And we're grateful for what you've said already. But if there's anything else that you feel something precise that we should be presenting in the chamber, we'd only be glad to help at any time. Thank you. I think the most important thing for me today is that we very closely assess certification and that for once and for all we stop this misbranding of Brand Ireland because it's damaging to our international trade reputation. And I also think that with regards to money that's going towards academic research, of which there has been plenty of thousands of euros, there must be some validation or some metric tied to that funding so that it can actually be measured as to how did it effectively change the farm gate price. And if it did, great. But if it didn't, why do we fund it? And will we continue to fund that kind of research? I think the government's assessment where they said that they would look at the Irish wool crisis, looking at it and doing something about it, why don't we look at these businesses and ask them, why don't you use Irish wool? Now they're going to say we can't and it's not suitable for our products. But never forget these two hats. And never forget the fact that we're not stupid anymore. We're not listening to the BS that's coming from the iron industry here in Ireland. We know that depending on how they process it, it is highly valuable. We don't even have to put it into our ordinary day wear. I'm talking about Irish tweed. I'm talking about Irish blankets. I'm talking about Irish bedding. All containing Irish wool and products that came from wool that has no close association to Irish soil whatsoever. Certification and traceability.