New Zealand's wool industry, once a defining part of the country's agricultural economy, is showing signs of a revival after decades of falling prices and production. For farmers who watched the value of wool decline as synthetic fibres became more popular, the recent improvement in prices is offering a reason for cautious optimism. Rising costs for synthetic materials and renewed global interest in natural fibres are helping put New Zealand wool back in demand, as per a report by The Guardian.
For sheep farmer John Hargreaves, the change is already being felt. His family has farmed sheep and beef in Kaiwaka, north of Auckland, for generations. Their flock once stood at 3,000 ewes in the 1960s, but rising shearing costs and the declining value of wool gradually reduced the number to just over 1,700.
