Catherine Connolly visits 'inspiring' wool project in Co. Galway
Independent TD and presidential candidate, Catherine Connolly has praised a Connemara, Co. Galway, project working to turn waste wool into a valuable project.
Deputy Connolly called the project "inspiring and vital" during a visit to FORUM Connemara's Dúrla project last week (Wednesday, July 30).
During her visit, the TD met with farmers, researchers, and community leaders to explore how upland wool, currently classified as waste, could be reimagined as a sustainable, local resource in landscape restoration, agriculture, and rural enterprise.
The Dúlra team and stakeholders with Independent TD Catherine Connolly discussing the possibility of using wool in ecological restoration on Simon Ashe's farm at Fernwood, Clifden. (Source: Dúlra project)
The visit brought together a group including the FORUM CEO and board members, local farmers, representatives from the Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA), the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), Teagasc, and members of the Dúlra project team.
According to the Dúrla project, Irish sheep farmers receive as little as €0.05-€0.20/kg for wool, while shearing costs can exceed €3 per sheep.
With up to 4 million fleeces produced in Ireland each year, most of this wool has little or no market value, a situation Connolly previously called 'extraordinary' and unsustainable.
Discussions centred on the challenges posed by wool's current classification as a Category 3 animal by-product and the barriers this creates for innovation and reuse.
The roundtable also explored the future role of wool in upland farming, rural enterprise, and nature-based restoration, followed by a field visit to a peatland restoration area where the team highlighted the possibilities for using wool as a biodegradable alternative to imported materials currently used in restoration work.
Deputy Connolly said: "Wool should never be treated as waste. It is an extraordinary national resource, full of untapped potential.
"Projects like this show how we can reimagine wool as part of our response to climate, biodiversity and rural regeneration."
'We need to stop treating wool as a nuisance and start treating it as an opportunity, one that's local, renewable and deeply connected to our farming communities,' she added.
The Dúlra Project is a multi-stakeholder landscape restoration initiative operating across special areas of conservation in Connemara and south Mayo.
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