Network aims to boost interest in a versatile but underutilised resource – Nordic wool in focus during workshop in the Faroe Islands
Wool from Nordic landrace sheep is durable, biodegradable and adapted to the local climate. Despite this, a large proportion of Nordic wool is discarded while imports remain high. Therefore, wool experts from across the Nordic region recently gathered in the Faroe Islands to discuss the potential of domestic wool and how this important resource can be better utilised.
It is mid-February and a thin layer of snow has settled over the dramatic landscape. Despite the harsh conditions in the Faroe Islands, grazing Faroese sheep can be seen along the roads. The name of the archipelago indeed originates from the Old Norse word for sheep, fær. That is why it makes sense that a group of Nordic wool experts has gathered here to participate in a two-day workshop organised by NordGen and the Faroese Agricultural Agency Búnaðarstovan as part of the project NordWool.
One of the aims with this is to create a collaborative network working with mapping, data collection, characterisation, and to highlight the often-overlooked role of wool in sheep farming along with its properties and great potential. One of the speakers in the programme was Liselotte Öhrling, wool adviser from Sweden.
“Wool is an unbeatable fibre that cannot be imitated by synthetic materials. Wool keeps us warm and is durable, yet it is biologically degradable. We have used wool in the Nordic countries for thousands of years, but today it is, for the most part, an underutilised resource that is often discarded,” Öhrling says.
Wool is a useful raw material for clothing, home textiles, furniture, building insulation and even cultivation. In Sweden, around 50 percent of the available wool is discarded each year while large quantities are imported.
“In Norway we are a bit bigger on wool than the rest of the Nordic region, but we also see that it has declined significantly over time, so I believe that measures are needed at policy level to increase production. It is also about highlighting the advantages – the wool of Nordic landrace sheep is adapted to our climate; it is not the same product as imported wool,” says Svorkmo Espelien, chair of the board at the spinning mill Selbu Spinneri located near Trondheim, Norway.
One of several Finish representatives in the workshop was Satu Kumpulainen who runs a sheep farm, slaughterhouse and spinning mill in Sievi, south of Oulu.
“In Finland we do not have proper collection centres and we do not know how to sort the wool or what qualities the industry demands. Most Finnish companies use imported wool. One could say that the chain is broken and we must rebuild it again,” says Kumpulainen, who continues:
“So we are competing with foreign wool producers, but what is even worse is that we are competing with the oil industry, as most clothes and even some of the yarn in shops are full of plastic.”
During the workshop, around forty participants listened to presentations about landrace sheeps and various aspects of wool. Visitors also took part in practical activities, such as wool evaluation, as well as visiting local yarn producers and sheep farmers.
Since 2018, Búnaðarstovan has operated a wool terminal that buys wool from local sheep farmers. The wool is sorted, packaged and then sold. Anything that is not sold to customers in the Faroe Islands is exported to the United Kingdom. Dorthea Joensen is Secretary at Búnaðarstovan and also works with the authority’s wool operations.
“To increase production, we need to make people aware of using wool again and we must support local entrepreneurs who want to work with wool. But I believe the time is right for wool, as awareness of sustainability has increased and younger generations are more interested in using our domestic resources. Therefore, I am hopeful about the future,” Joensen says.
Facts
- The workshop is part of the NordWool project led by NordGen and funded by the Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ).
- There are around 30 Nordic landrace sheep breeds in the Nordic region; one of these is the Faroese sheep (Føroyskur seyður), classified as “Not at risk”.
- For other landrace sheep in the Nordic region, however, the situation is more critical. Read more about the situation for all Nordic landrace animals in this status report.
