ABERCROMBIE’S GOT HIS HANDS UP FOR A HANDOUT

Wool Partners International chief executive Iain Abercrombie’s comments that in the past 12 months the price of wool has dropped from a 12-year high has attracted the attention of wool exporters.

Wool Exporters Council executive manager Nick Nicholson said Wool Partners International and its sponsors, the Wool Industry Network and Meat and Wool New Zealand were full of criticism of the wool trade and were going to prove how good they were by taking over the industry.

“While they were telling the world how bad the existing traders are, they seem to have forgotten to mention that these same people were achieving prices at a 12 year high.  Perhaps it didn’t fit in with their agenda.”

“So far WPI has fulfilled industry expectations by achieving absolutely nothing.  Prices worldwide have dropped.  The United States market, on which WPI seem to have set so much store, has seen a 25% drop in volumes since Mr Abercrombie took up his job.  Will he claim that as one of his achievements?”

“WPI was launched in a fanfare of trumpets and Mr Abercrombie clearly was unable to deliver on promises of 12 months ago when he said he’d lift the price of wool by a dollar a kg,” Mr Nicholson said. 

“It must be very comforting for Mr Abercrombie and his chairman, Ms Gattung to know that Meat & Wool New Zealand chairman Mike Petersen is out there surreptitiously trying to get a mandate to pour grower levy money directly into Wool Partner’s International’s coffers,” he said.