Data from the National Wool Declaration to May released by AWEX shows a continued increase in the volume of wool being offered at auction that is either declared as Pain Relief (PR) or as Non-Mulesed (NM). However, there has been a drop in the amount of wool declared as Ceased Mulesed (CM). For the 2017/18 season to May, there has been a 20% increase in the number of bales declared as NM and an 18% increase in the number of bales declared as PR. There has been a small 1% increase in the number of bales with a blank National Wool Declaration, but a fall of 8% in the number of bales declared as CM. Overall, the number of bales with an NWD was 12% higher than for the same period in 2016/17.

In terms of shares of the total, wool offered in Australia with an NWD is now 65.6% of all wool offered. Wool declared as NM now accounts for 11.3% of all wool offered and wool declared as PR is now 31.3%. This is a phenomenal change in the past five years: in 2012/13 wool with an NWD accounted for 44.7% of all wool offered, with NM-declared wool only 6.6% and PR-declared wool as just 14%.

Full details including a chart showing the total number of bales declared with each declaration type for the season to May for 2017/18 and the previous five seasons are contained in the full version of the NCWSBA Weekly Newsletter, available to NCWSBA Members.