Ill feeling and animosity appear to have been set aside, with a pan-industry task force to be established to try to save the crisis-stricken crossbred wool industry.
Agriculture Minister David Carter described as positive the outcome of a meeting he convened yesterday of 35 industry leaders and participants in Wellington, adding there was agreement the current state of the crossbred wool industry was unacceptable.
Mr Carter will select a small task force from those who attended yesterday's meeting to develop a strategy on how to market the attributes of crossbred wool and increase the price of the fibre for farmers.
The task force would report back to the wider group at a meeting in the New Year.
This marks a quantum shift for a divided industry, and the shift stems from lack of support for the 2007 government-funded Wool Industry Network (Win) study.
The study was designed to find ways to grow the value of wool.
A new commercial company, Wool Partners International, grew out of the Win study, but it was seen by many as a threat, as it had among its goals the consolidation of the clip and shortening the supply chain between farmers and customers.
Farmers last month voted to stop paying a levy on wool.
Mr Carter said a goal of this task force would be to get industry-wide acceptance.
The Win report concluded commercial drivers would initiate change, whereas in reality, any change had to be industry led.
Mr Carter said the Win conclusions and study would be reviewed as part of the task force's work.
There was general agreement at the meeting that the current state of the industry, where prices have been trending down, was unacceptable, and would lead to more farmers treating wool as a by-product of meat.
Mr Carter said any solutions would have to connect consumers and wool, and result in higher prices to farmers so they continued to produce a quality product.
The meeting discussed whether to hold a second referendum on farmers paying a wool levy, and Mr Carter said the idea had some support.
But the consensus was to delay such a decision until the task force had started its work.
In a further sign of unity, Mr Carter said a motion from the meeting decided he should be the group's only spokesman.
