Finer wool prices hit hardest

The wool market finished one per cent lower last week, a drop of 88c/kg for the Western Market Indicator when compared to the same week last year.

Australian Wool Industries Secretariat's Peter Morgan said wools up to 19.5 micron were most affected.

Williams wool producer Bob Rose and his son, Robert, sold eight bales of 18 micron weaner wool for 872c/kg greasy which was well down on last year when the same quality line sold to a top of 1540c/kg.

Mr Rose said his Grassvale consignment had a yield of 62 per cent, length of 81mm and measured a strength value of 37 Newtons per kilotex.

"The wool had a higher content of vegetable matter due to the season," he said.

Elders technical officer Danny Burkett said the Grassvale clip of 69 bales sold well, based on current market prices.

The Rose family run 4900 breeding ewes of multi-purpose Merino (MPM) bloodlines and are recording a 98 per cent July lambing rate.

"MPM sheep are very plain bodied and we stopped mulesing eight years ago and have been very successful with flystrike management," Mr Rose said.

Although premiums are not yet realised for non-mulesed sheep, the Roses are hoping the day will come when such wool is in demand.

Dr Morgan said the increased volume of wool on the national market this week - 52,700 bales - may be due to a lift in receivals following the delays caused by heavy rain and floods in the eastern states last month and possibly due to some growers wanting to sell before the Easter break.

Sales will be in recess the week after Easter.