AUSTRALIA’S trade in wool oddment lines into China is under question after authorities recently destroyed parts of consignments reportedly contaminated with sheep faeces, skin and flesh.
According to exporter sources, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine has notified the Australian Embassy in Beijing that this year it had found Australian raw wool consignments with “faeces, decaying skin and flesh, short in length, yellow in colour and weak in tenacity”.
The Australian Embassy and now the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service have been told that between March and July 2010 six affected consignments were detected in Shanghai port and some of these have been destroyed.
China has reportedly advised that they will return or destroy future contaminated raw wool shipments from Australia and would suspend further exports from some exporters.
Australian Council of Wool Exporters and Processors executive director Dr Peter Morgan could not confirm why the Chinese authorities have raised the concerns with the consignments.
But he said the concerns relate to low-value oddment lines and carbonising types such as bellies, crutchings and pieces with dags, urine and dung stain.
“It is right at the bottom end – it is not a fleece wool issue at all.
“I have confirmed that some consignments or part of consignments have been destroyed.”
Dr Morgan said these wools would in the past have been sent to China in a semi-processed state, but were now arriving in greasy form.
One exporter said the problems with raw oddment lines into China had only been occurring since the demise of large-scale scouring and carbonising into Australia, and their establishment in China.
The exporter suggested that the wool issues could relate to the large amount of effluent produced when scouring and carbonising of oddment lines.
He said although there were nominated yield and standards for Chinese fleece wool types, there was no comparable criteria for oddment lines.
“There does not appear to be any standards or guidelines – new standards will need to be developed to address China’s concern that future raw wool exports are not contaminated with faeces or other animal waste, plant waste, vegetable matter etc to ensure this market is not further jeopardised.”
Dr Morgan was not able to supply details on the cost of destroyed consignments to Australian exporters.
He did not expect the concerns to impact on raw fleece wool exports from Australia.
Dr Morgan welcomed a AQSIQ proposal to send a delegation to Australia as an opportunity to clarify some issues.
He said the issue has also affected some South American wool consignments.
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