ALL Australian wool industry eyes are on international retail bodies as speculation mounts that the global associations could be gearing up for a backlash against Australian wool after the nation's peak sheep research and development board retreated from the 2010 mulesing deadline.
British retail consortium (BRC) director of business environment Jane Milne wrote to Australian Wool Innovation chief executive Brenda McGahan last week to brief her on the response to AWI's new fly strike policy, in often confused detail, according to the letter obtained by Rural Press this week.
While thanking Ms McGahan for her letter, received last Monday, and for the phone message explaining the background to AWI’s announcement, the letter stated: "You will understand from our earlier discussions our extreme disappointment and concern to hear that the agreed deadline may not be met.
"We are anxious to understand what 'may' means in this context," the letter states.
"Is there, in fact a significant chance that it will be met, or is this device a euphemism for 'won't'?"
Claims that that the 2005 "compact" was entered into in "good faith" and "we have stood by Australian woolgrowers" and we will not "resile on our commitment to customers to supply them with ethically sourced Merino products", are contained in the three page letter.
If breeding programmes to eliminate genotype vulnerable to fly strike remain the only acceptable long term solution, "we need to know from you how quickly these can deliver a universal solution", the letter states. However, it notes that surgical mulesing without analgesic was "unacceptable to UK retailers and our customers".
"We will seek to avoid wool from farms using this practice, whether sourced directly or via the garment supply chain," Ms Milne wrote.
But she said it would be "extremely helpful to set the date for our next visit to London as soon as possible" and said it would be "useful to explore whether representatives of the growers should participate in these discussion".
The letter raised the point that "understanding" the position of Wool Producers Australia would be crucial to "enabling us to form an accurate view as to whether the Australian wool industry is truly committed to progress".
Woolproducers executive director Greg Weller said the letter demonstrated that the British retail association wanted to stay with wool despite the adversity, but was angered by AWI's decision which had "backed retailers into a corner".
"AWI should be sitting down with retailers and asking them, 'How can I find the wool that you want and how can I fix your problem?'" Mr Weller said.
"The role of AWI is to make publicly aware the availability of wool and be transparent….it is a very important role to play.
"These (retailers) want to stay in wool and should be helped."
He said WoolProducers had made the commitment in 2005 to phase out mulesing by 2010 and "we are not going to walk away".
Speaking more than a week later after AWI announced it was "unlikely" that the 2010 mulesing deadline would be reached, AWI's chairman Wal Merriman denied accusations that its decision was made without retail consensus.
"The benefit of having a global network is that we are constantly in touch with retailers," Mr Merriman said.
Mr Merriman said AWI was meeting with British retail giant Marks and Spencer when it visited Australia this month.
Separately AWI's strategic adviser Stuart McCullough said in an address at Sheepvention in Hamilton this week that dialogue between itself and retailers was achieved on a "day and night" basis.
Rural Press understands AWI has responded to the BRC letter and that there has been no reply to date.
Meanwhile, the Australian Wool Growers Association (AWGA) has announced it "welcomed" AWI's new animal health and welfare flystrike prevention policy outlined last Monday.
"At last we have Leadership at AWI that is prepared to tell woolgrowers the truth about research programs," AWGA chairman Martin Oppenheimer said.
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