Merino growers achieve stronger voice

PGG Wrightson concedes farmers an extra seat on marketing company boardby Maria SladeMerino wool farmers have reached agreement with rural services firm PGG Wrightson to have the interests of growers better represented on the board of New Zealand Merino.

Farmer group Merino Grower Investments and PGG Wrightson each own half of New Zealand Merino and appoint three directors apiece.

But PGW has agreed that one of its directors, Peter Rose, will stand down to make way for Mt Cook merino grower Ross Ivey.

Merino Grower Investments chairman Bob Brown said farmers had been pushing for some time to have more grower input into the running of the merino marketing company.

"We're interested in having a little bit more focus on grower viability. The bottom line is we're still not getting quite enough for our merino wool to maintain merino numbers."

Brown said there was a perception that merino was doing well, which it was in comparison to the strong or carpet wool side of the industry.

But while merino had done better thanks to the efforts of the marketing company, merino sheep numbers were still declining as growers shifted to more profitable options.

Brown said growers remained very much behind New Zealand Merino and did not want to change the formula.

However it was time for a greater emphasis from the grower end.

Ross Ivey is a merino farmer and tourism operator from Glentanner Station near Mt Cook.

Brown said a number of properties had combined merino growing with tourism and there were further opportunities along those lines for the sector.

Rose's place on the New Zealand Merino board will be taken by independent director Sara Lunam, enabling the Merino Grower Investments' appointment of Ivey.

Meanwhile, chairman John Nicol, whose term had come to an end, has agreed to serve another year.