Free AWEX WoolClip workshops to be held in Boyup Brook, Albany and Darkan to update woolclassers and growers

Australian Wool Exchange’s rollout of the world’s leading digital on-farm wool platform WoolClip will be the hot topic at four WA workshops next week, ahead of the commercial roll out of eBales next month. The national wool service organisation plans to bring farmers, woolclassers, wool pressers and shearing contractors together for sessions at Boyup Brook on June 27, Albany on June 28 and Darkan on June 29 to discuss the rollout of WoolClip. It will also hold a session at the WASIA annual general meeting in in Perth on Saturday, June 24. It marks the next stage of a national tour to explain how the rollout of WoolClip and associated eBales will work. The WoolClip digital platform was developed by AWEX with industry to ensure integrity through the wool value chain, with a digital platform capturing critical wool data, associated declarations and information from the farm to warehouse. Uptake of the platform surged last year, with more than 100,000 bales put through the program after being rolled out late last year. While the program is in its infancy in WA, use is expected to surge in the next two years. Bibra Lake-based Dyson Jones WA wool manager Peter Howie said WoolClip was being used by a few WA woolclassers. However, he said there had not been “enough uptake”. “It is a very good product and has been very efficient in logistics of transferring data,” he said. WoolClip users can complete the National Wool Declaration and create easy-to-read Wool Classer specifications, minimising paper-based errors and delivering significant efficiencies through the chain. Uptake is expected to increase this year with the rollout of eBale — electronic packs with a unique RFID number stored on a chip and as a QR code which is captured on-farm through the WoolClip platform. eBales became commercially available this year and by July, all packs imported will be eBale packs at a cost of 60c per pack. AWEX WoolClip program lead John Cox met with WA industry representatives earlier this week to kickstart initial discussions. Mr Cox will headline the WA tour next week, alongside AWEX woolclasser registrar Fiona Raleigh. Elders Williams and Darkan wool area manager Sarah Buscumb has coordinated the WoolClip workshop in Darkan on June 29. She urged woolclassers and farmers to attend the workshops to find out more about the platform. A National WoolClip Working Group was appointed last year to help the expansion of WoolClip, with AWEX hoping to secure five million eBales for the Australian wool market to cover up to three years of production. AWEX WOOLCLIP WORKSHOPS June 27: Boyup Brook Club 81-83 Railway Parade 6pm June 28: Albany Le Grande Motel, 479 Albany Highway 6pm-8pm June 29: Darkan CRC, 27 Burrows St, 6.30-8.30pm