Lochcarron Sold to Koreans

[chewse]

For the last 20 or so years much(not all) of the Scottish(UK) wool has remained on the farm unsold, or it is cheaper for the buyer to "forget" it rather than pay transport costs and every now and then several years worth of wool is burned on farm to make room for the next heap to accumilate.

WHAT! That is insane! Maybe the Scottish farmers are paid subsidies not to bring the wool to market like so many farmers from the US who are paid not to grow certain crops?

[Jock Scot]

Are those sheep raised for their meat?

Quite so, although there is a large element of "park keeping"these days too. The sheep(apart from this years lambs) have to be shorn(sheared?) every year at about this time, on welfare grounds and by law. It also costs more to shear a sheep than the value of the resulting fleece. Apparently China has shown an interest in wool so hopefully things may change.

[beerbecue]

Sounds like there is some potential for a wool marketing idea... home insulation, ingredient in bricks..

see

http://www.utility-exchange.co.uk/na...y-bills-13402/

New uses, new revenue.

Sorry, OT....

[Jock Scot]

Sounds like there is some potential for a wool marketing idea... home insulation, ingredient in bricks..

see

http://www.utility-exchange.co.uk/na...y-bills-13402/

New uses, new revenue.

Sorry, OT....

Yes sorry OT. Anyway much of the UK's wool was used and was eminently suitable in the world renowned carpet industry that the UK was famous for----------------until about 20/30 years ago when synthetics and cost of production moved the carpet industry away from these shores. Hummm, this is beginning to sound familiar!

[Mike_Oettle]

One can only hope for the best.
One thing I have noticed on going through the SRT is that a good many tartans have been designed for the Korean market, either exclusively or also for the Japanese and Chinese markets.
It seems that tartan is well regarded on the peninsula.
Since I live in a wool-producing country I can say that demand has picked up of late, and that the Chinese are showing an interest in it.
And perhaps the Scottish sheep farmers should look at including longer- and finer-fleeced bloodlines in their flocks. It is sad indeed that all that wool from north of the border goes to waste.
Regards,
Mike

[EagleJCS]

Of course I hope that the associated companies, or those that depend on Lochcarron don't lose out, but the shepherds and shearers are generally in Australia and New Zealand,not Scotland!!

Alex, it's a different type of wool, the Scottish wool tends to be shorter and a little coarser , and isn't often used for the fine cloth. I'm not saying it hasn't been, or couldn't be used , but it isn't the norm

Something I was unaware of. Like Alex, I too thought that the local spinning/dyeing/weaving industry would have purchased their raw materials from local merchants. The world in indeed moving towards a truly global economy.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Well, from what I hear the Korean company who purchased Lochcarron has a strong interest in traditional Scottish tartan, made in Scotland, so that's good news indeed! And apparently they are investing a significant sum of money in developing the company so I suspect there will be changes, but hopefully for the better.

I've already had a few people ask me this, so let me say that as of now I have absolutely no reason to believe that any services will change in the near future so I don't anticipate any problem acquiring cloth, kilts, etc. Business as usual, as far as that goes.

We wish them all the best!

[robthehiker]

One can only hope for the best.
And perhaps the Scottish sheep farmers should look at including longer- and finer-fleeced bloodlines in their flocks. It is sad indeed that all that wool from north of the border goes to waste.
Regards,
Mike

If they're being raised primarily for meat I'd assume the Scottish sheep taste better?

[sevenoaks]

Canada's famous "Hudson's Bay Co" was bought out by an American company. The Hudson Bay Company was founded before Canada was a nation. The explored and opened this country up by sending furs back to England. Canada still trades in furs but Great Britain has had political pressure on them from environmentalists and animal protection groups. I understand that it is impossible to buy a seal skin fur for a sporran in Scotland or England. Our native Inuit peoples hunted have seals for thousands of years' an still do so for there lively hood and survival in the Arctic. The emigrants from England and mostly Scotland now populated the east coast of Canada, Newfoundland, Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The make there living by fishing in the wild Atlantic Oceans and hunt the seals in the spring. The ice flows and conditions they work under is extremely dangerous. The seal population has grown to such an extent that they now affect the fish stocks on the east coast.
Now I am digressing from the original information. Our world is becoming smaller and smaller due to the exchange of information and the financial pressures put on us. As with the "Hudson's Bay Company" the loss of a tartan weaver shrinks that world. It is my hope the Koreans be able to keep the costs down, while keeping to the traditional materials and weaving.
In Vancouver I see many cultures who are proud of there heritage, people in there national dress, Burkas, Veils, Bike riders in spandex, Runners in there tight clothing, Cowboys, Chinese, Japanese, Africans and many many other cultures. No-one I have ever seen stops them and asks "why do you wear what you are wearing?"
May we all become one and still honer everyone's traditions. The loss of jobs in any particular craft is sad but change forces us all to adapt to this new age.

[Mike_Oettle]

Robthehiker wrote: “If they’re being raised primarily for meat I’d assume the Scottish sheep taste better?”

Well, since I don’t have access to Scottish mutton I couldn’t tell you. But I can say that Karoo lamb, raised on the unique vegetation of our dry inland region, is very tasty indeed, and hard to beat on that score!
Regards,
Mike