Recently Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) released its draft strategic three-year plan for public comment, a plan that is virtually the last throw for many in the Merino industry.
With the latest shaky WoolPoll outcome recording a paltry 50.6 per cent of shareholders voting, 40pc voted against the 2pc levy. If this trend continues, then these are probably the last three years of levy existence.
With this in mind, when one reads their strategic plan nothing stimulates the reader to rush out and invest heavily in the merino industry, regardless of how incredible and suitable this amazing animal is for Australia’s arid farming landscape.
The plan simply lacks depth, intelligence, detail and forward thinking. This document is not a strategic plan to save the wool industry, rather, a laundry list of projects, some very worthwhile, the rest a case of leaky ideas, all badly needing a lifeboat.
Considering that marketing now is the main battleship of the Australian wool industry (60pc of levy spend), it is distressing that there is no arching objective commercial strategy offered in any sense.
There are lots of clever trendy words and coloured pictures, but nothing striking and clear strategically.
By the end of 2019, either we will have increased our export wool volumes or we haven’t. If AWI has stimulated such demand, we will all gladly keep paying the levy.
This clear goal with a new set of tailored projects to achieve the goal would create new sense of excitement, reignite the passion for growing wool, opening the door for our young farming people to flood back into our aging industry.
Just saying “we are going to create demand” is lamer than a flock of ducks and holds no credibility.
The question is, will the current AWI board and management be brave enough to take this giant step, undertake this leap of faith that our wool product is good enough to compete, taking this one last great opportunity left for Aussie wool and produce a clear and meaningful strategy?