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The Muster- Julie Edwards: Shearwell UK · The Muster on Hokonui

• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to The Muster as we head over to
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  Speaker 1: the UK and catch up with Julie Edwards of Shearwell UK.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Now we catch up with Ella McCleary, monthly here on
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  Speaker 1: The Muster. Well, Julie's based on the other side of
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  Speaker 1: the world. The parent company of Shearwell.
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  Speaker 2: Good afternoon. Great to catch up once again.
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  Speaker 3: Good afternoon, Andy. Nice to talk to you.
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  Speaker 1: Last time we spoke to you, it was a very
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  Speaker 1: un-English problem having to deal with heat waves. Have you
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  Speaker 1: settled into autumn weather yet?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, we're getting there, although it's still above average, I think,
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  Speaker 3: in terms of temperature. We've had a little bit of rain,
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  Speaker 3: but our local reservoir is still very low. We are
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  Speaker 3: only 21% full this time of year, and normally we're
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  Speaker 3: a lot higher than that, so... we're going to need
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  Speaker 3: an awful lot of rain to get it to where
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  Speaker 3: it needs to be to sustain us, you know, when
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  Speaker 3: we really haven't had any significant grass growth since we
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  Speaker 3: last spoke, actually. So, yeah, it's certainly had an impact. And,
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  Speaker 3: you know, I was reading something yesterday and it said
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  Speaker 3: that we had the driest summer since 1884. So, you know,
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  Speaker 3: it's significant in terms of the impact that it's had
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  Speaker 3: on the landscape.
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  Speaker 2: So how's the rural sector coped with the conditions?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think, obviously, I think all the animals are
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  Speaker 3: performing a lot better now. It's cooler. You know, and
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  Speaker 3: I think at the moment, you know, farmers are pretty optimistic.
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  Speaker 3: Prices are good for livestock. The challenge obviously comes in
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  Speaker 3: the form of input costs. So things like fertilizer and
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  Speaker 3: fuel are escalating on a daily basis, which is, you know,
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  Speaker 3: very hard for farmers to then plan because, you know,
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  Speaker 3: it doesn't seem to settle at all. And while the
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  Speaker 3: ongoing conflicts continue, it's going to have an impact on farming.
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  Speaker 3: The government has just had an open letter sent to it.
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  Speaker 3: 180 organizations have signed a letter to the government saying
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  Speaker 3: that food security has to be a key consideration in
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  Speaker 3: light of what's going on currently around the world. and
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  Speaker 3: the impact that it's having on the food supply chain,
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  Speaker 3: particularly with things like fertilizer and fuel costs for farmers. So, yeah,
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  Speaker 3: it's significant. We're just coming to the end of political
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  Speaker 3: party conference season. So, you know, everybody's making lots of
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  Speaker 3: promises and pledges. And, you know, and certainly the rural
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  Speaker 3: sector has had quite a lot of mentions in terms of,
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  Speaker 3: you know, If the Conservatives get back into power, they're
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  Speaker 3: going to cut things like inheritance tax, which is great news.
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  Speaker 3: And they're going to cut red tape and they're going
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  Speaker 3: to get rid of some of these other government quangos.
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  Speaker 3: But it's easy words. We need to see that put
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  Speaker 3: into action if it's going to happen.
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  Speaker 2: Government quangos. Interesting. What does that mean?
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  Speaker 3: So organisations like the Environment Agency, Natural England, all of
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  Speaker 3: the organisations that maybe have some legislative inputs or impacts
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  Speaker 3: particularly for things like farming. So the Environment Agency in
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  Speaker 3: Natural England have an impact on how food is produced
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  Speaker 3: and how farms are managed over here in the UK.
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  Speaker 1: It sounds as though you've got the same issues as
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  Speaker 1: New Zealand farmers, fuel issues, fertiliser comes under the equation
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  Speaker 1: as well.
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  Speaker 2: How are you faring?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think the challenge obviously is just the extremely
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  Speaker 3: high prices that farmers are having to pay for fertilizer
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  Speaker 3: and just the instability in the market and whether or
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  Speaker 3: not it's actually going to be available. The key ingredients
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  Speaker 3: that go into different types of fertilizers, are we going
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  Speaker 3: to be able to source them at the right time
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  Speaker 3: and obviously be able to apply them to the ground
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  Speaker 3: to actually be able to grow crops is the challenge
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  Speaker 3: at the moment because Because of the uncertain times that
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  Speaker 3: we are facing with, you know, what's going on in
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  Speaker 3: the Straits of Hormuz, you know, with Russia and Ukraine,
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  Speaker 3: it all has huge impacts and obviously has a financial
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  Speaker 3: impact on farming businesses, but also supply chain sector as well.
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  Speaker 1: Your fuel price is over $ 4 New Zealand a litre.
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  Speaker 1: Even equated back, it's still pretty dear for what you're
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  Speaker 1: used to. But I mean, are farmers able to get
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  Speaker 1: a supply of fuel going forward, perhaps like America? They're
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  Speaker 1: allowing red dye fuel to go on the roads.
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  Speaker 3: It hasn't been sanctioned yet. But I think if things
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  Speaker 3: continue the way they are, we may see that happen.
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  Speaker 3: But no, not at the moment. But certainly people are
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  Speaker 3: having to plan ahead. But I think, you know, they
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  Speaker 3: are getting quite a shock when they're phoning out to
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  Speaker 3: get quotes for their fuel. It's quite a challenge.
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  Speaker 1: The mood of the sector after a dry summer, though,
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  Speaker 1: is there a bit of fear heading into the winter months?
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  Speaker 2: I mean, it sounds very similar to New Zealand six
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  Speaker 2: months ago.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think.
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  Speaker 3: You know, given everything that's going on, there is, I
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  Speaker 3: would say, a mood of confidence. You know, things like
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  Speaker 3: prices for cattle and for sheep are very good, so.
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  Speaker 3: With store cattle, steers and heifers, anything between 12 and
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  Speaker 3: 24 months, you know, the really good stuff is making
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  Speaker 3: sort of over £ 2, 000 a head. That's 12 to 24 months,
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  Speaker 3: steers and heifers, anything from £ 1, 500 to £ 2, 400 a head.
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  Speaker 3: Suckled calves between eight and 11 months, you know, they're
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  Speaker 3: up around £ 1, 800. And prime steers, you know, they're, they're
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  Speaker 3: well over 360 pence a kilo. So, you know, good prices.
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  Speaker 3: Prime lambs are 331 pence plus a kilo. Coal ewes
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  Speaker 3: are still selling well. And breeding stock, you know, there's
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  Speaker 3: still a keen interest in them and actually even stronger
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  Speaker 3: than last year in terms of price and people wanting
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  Speaker 3: to buy them. So the breeding sales this autumn have
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  Speaker 3: gone really well for people.
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  Speaker 2: Is there such a thing as a wool market in
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  Speaker 2: the UK?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we do have a wool market, yeah. Yeah, the
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  Speaker 3: wool board. I think there are a number of other
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  Speaker 3: buyers as well now, but the British Wool Marketing Board
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  Speaker 3: is still here.
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  Speaker 1: It's pretty much a by-product for a lot of people.
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  Speaker 1: I was over there, jeez, 25 years ago now, and
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  Speaker 1: more or less just got dumped.
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  Speaker 2: In the hole.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's certainly there hasn't really been any value attached
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  Speaker 3: to wool, which is shameful, really, given, you know, all
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  Speaker 3: of the properties that wool provides. I don't think people
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  Speaker 3: have really valued it in the way that it should
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  Speaker 3: have been valued. You know, I can always remember my
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  Speaker 3: dad saying that, you know, the wool check paid for
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  Speaker 3: the shearing plus a bit more, whereas now it's rising again,
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  Speaker 3: but it still doesn't cover, you know, it's minimal amount
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  Speaker 3: of money that we get for our wool. But, you know,
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  Speaker 3: they are, the World Marketing Board are raising their game
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  Speaker 3: in terms of the marketing and promotion that they're doing with,
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  Speaker 3: you know, products, things like clothing, working with fashion designers.
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  Speaker 3: You know, it's going into making duvets and carpets and
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  Speaker 3: stuff like that. So, you know, it's. I think there's
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  Speaker 3: a big push because people do recognise the benefits of
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  Speaker 3: the fact that it's a natural product. It's much better
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  Speaker 3: than a synthetic product, but I think it's still got
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  Speaker 3: a lot of work to do to build its provenance
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  Speaker 3: and prominence back in the market.
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  Speaker 2: And how's everything going with Shearwell over there?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, very good. In terms of sales in the UK,
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  Speaker 3: obviously it's been a busy time with the slaughter tax,
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  Speaker 3: for lambs and also with calving now we're selling a
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  Speaker 3: lot of tags for the cows and the calves that
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  Speaker 3: are coming through um the guys in new zealand so
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  Speaker 3: ray ben and al are doing a phenomenal job as
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  Speaker 3: always so it would be remiss of me not to
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  Speaker 3: mention them um you know they they're having a cracking
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  Speaker 3: time that obviously have had with the sale of sheep
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  Speaker 3: tags but obviously as well with the cattle tags that
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  Speaker 3: we sell so the one piece s tags um they
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  Speaker 3: they seem to be um increasing in popularity, but also
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  Speaker 3: our boss tags, the two-piece tag for cattle. The guys
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  Speaker 3: are selling an increasing amount of those. So, yeah, they're
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  Speaker 3: doing a great job and working hard as always. So, yeah,
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  Speaker 3: a big thanks to them and to everybody that's buying them, really.
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  Speaker 3: So thank you.
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  Speaker 2: The cattle tags have been a welcome addition.
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  Speaker 1: Yes.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely. And I think, you know, Shewell, I guess,
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  Speaker 3: has been known for its sheep tags, probably not so
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  Speaker 3: much for its cattle tags. But, you know, we have
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  Speaker 3: a good product. And very much like the sheep tags,
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  Speaker 3: you know, they are a good quality product and we
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  Speaker 3: do them in a range of colours. And I think
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  Speaker 3: they're well positioned in terms of price. So, yes, if
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  Speaker 3: people do want more information, then don't hesitate to get
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  Speaker 3: in contact with the guys and they'll be able to
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  Speaker 3: help you.
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  Speaker 2: Good on you, Julie. Always good to catch up.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, likewise, Andy. Lovely talking to you.
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  Speaker 2: Julie Edwards of Shewell UK. Great to catch up with
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  Speaker 2: the team. And Alan McCleary and Ray Enco doing a
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  Speaker 2: great job over here too. You're listening to The Muster.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: Up next from Derry NZ, Nicola Blair.