Midlands sheep farmers benefit from Intermediate Depot

09 Sep '10

2 min read

The British Wool Marketing Board's decision to set up a framework of intermediate depots across the country to help sheep farmers reduce the cost of transporting their wool has been a huge success – and Rugby farmer Dennis Clarke says it's saved him time and money.

The intermediate depot system was introduced by the Wool Board to enable sheep farmers around the UK to deliver their own wool to a strategically located depot. The concept was aimed at cutting the cost of transport which has to be levied on wool producers when wool is collected and also to provide more opportunities for them to deliver their wool to an “intermediate” depot that was closer to the farm.

“We always used to deliver our wool clip to the Wool Board's depot at Stamford in Lincolnshire or Market Harborough and it meant a trip of up to 65 miles. This year we've delivered our wool to the intermediate depot at Hunningham and it only involved a 12 mile journey,” said Mr Clarke who runs a flock of Suffolk x Mules as well as Texel and Beltex crosses at Harborough Magna, near Rugby.

Gareth Jones, the British Wool Marketing Board's Producer Relations Manager, said the intermediate depot system had been a “real success.”

“The framework of depots that we set up across the UK have made a significant difference to the costs involved in transporting wool – and that means producers will benefit in how much they earn from their clip,” said Mr Jones.

British Wool Marketing Board

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