Wool prices 'best in a decade' as new logo launched to protect Scottish yarn

Fleeces are fetching more than 70 per cent above last year’s levels, according to figures from British Wool. In 2024, the average price hovered at about 34p per kilo; this year it stands at around 70p, with some clips — notably Cheviot — commanding as much as 85p.

Industry figures attribute the rise largely to a tightening of supply alongside stronger demand. The UK flock stood at 6.54 million in 2025, down 2.2 per cent on the five-year average, though marginally higher than in 2024. Across Britain and Europe, sheep numbers have fallen to levels not seen since the mid-20th century.

Read more: Why more than 50,000 sheep have disappeared from Scottish Highland estates

Data from the National Sheep Association suggest the contraction has been particularly acute in the Highlands, where more than 50,000 breeding ewes have disappeared over the past decade. An exploratory survey of 51 estates — drawing on evidence from shearers and hauliers — points to rewilding, regenerative agriculture and forestry as the principal drivers.

Fewer flocks have meant fewer fleeces, with BW saying its intake is down by about 3 per cent this year. Yet with more than six million sheep still on Scottish farms, supply has remained relatively robust.

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The price rise comes as BW launches a Scottish Wool certification, intended to guarantee products made from 100 per cent Scottish yarn. The move mirrors the protected status associated with goods such as whisky, lamb and salmon, and is designed to distinguish domestic wool from cheaper imports while offering traceability back to farm of origin.

The organisation said that, as consumers move away from fast fashion towards more durable and sustainable materials, demand for Scottish wool is expected to strengthen.

“We are at the highest level for wool prices in over a decade,” said BW’s marketing director Graham Clark after the new logo launch at the organisation’s Borders depot in Selkirk this week.

“It has been tracking in the right direction for the past 18 months and it is going to be a better year for farmers in terms of returns.

“They are not where they need to be, and there is still work to be done, but they are certainly the strongest they have been for a long time.”

Mr Clark said there has been an increase in global as well as UK demand, with a noticeable increase in new partners dealing in bedding materials. Wool mattresses are increasingly marketed as an alternative to synthetics because of their natural insulating and moisture-regulating properties, and their resistance to dust mites and mould.

Jim Robertson, chairman of BW and who farms sheep in Dumfriesshire, said prices have been noticeably better.

“The last ten sales we’ve had have all increased,” he said.

“There’s been a big shift in how we handle wool, what’s on the farm or at the depots.”

He added: “Scottish wool is a valuable natural resource with a long history and a strong future. This certification gives confidence to consumers and brands that Scottish wool can be clearly identified and trusted for its provenance, quality and sustainability, which is only a good thing as demand for wool continues to grow.”

Historically, the price of wool was enough to be able to sustain business by covering rent or a shepherd’s wage for a year.

At their peak in the 1950s, farmers were paid around £14 per kg in the 1950s. The rise of synthetic fibers led to prices dropping significantly during the 1970s and 80s.

Official figures show from the early 1990s, wool prices have remained below approximately £3 per kg with a more significant decline showing since 2015 where values fell below £1 per kg for the first time.

During the Covid-19 lockdowns, prices collapsed as processing plants supplying carpets to one of BW’s main industries, the hospitality sector— including pubs, hotels and cruise ships—shut down. For years, returns were so low that some farmers paid more for shearing and transport than they received for their fleeces, with some resorting to burying or burning wool.

To mitigate this, BW, which collects, grades and markets British wool on behalf of sheep farmers in the UK, has increased its number of depots across the country for producers to drop off the material for no charge in an effort to prevent it going to waste. From Kirwall to Campbeltown, Barra to Selkirk, the association said there are now 25 collection sites in Scotland, an increase of seven depots in the last couple of years.

The push for Scottish wool comes after the UK government extended the temporary visa concession for overseas sheep shearers for one "final" year, allowing them to work in the UK until 30 June 2026 .

The scheme, which allows highly skilled shearers to come to the country during the shearing season, has been in place for a number of years. In January, the Home Office said it would end the scheme, prompting outcry from the sheep farming sector over workforce shortage and sheep welfare concerns.

BW said it had been part of a joint effort to push the UK government to delaying the scrapping of the visa scheme for another year.

It said it will be “ramping up” training courses for sheep shearing to help mitigate issues that arise from oversea shearers facing more restrictions on coming to work in the UK.

The Home Office said the scheme would be extended but added the industry must move towards a "fully sustained" UK workforce.