A full season's worth of wool, some 1000 fleeces, going up in smoke as a farmer burns them.

Once they would of paid the rent of the farm for the year, but now as a commodity they are virtually worthless, only bringing in a few pence per fleece, whilst costing the farmer up to £1.50/sheep to shear.

A full seasons worth of wool, some 1000 fleeces, going up in smoke as a farmer burns them

A full season's worth of wool, some 1000 fleeces, going up in smoke as a farmer burns them

There are a number of issues around the price of fleeces being so low, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A number of innovative ideas for the natural fibre are in the pipeline, such as house insulation, but the costs are prohibitive, despite the raw material being so cheap.

A full seasons worth of wool, some 1000 fleeces, going up in smoke as a farmer burns them

A full season's worth of wool, some 1000 fleeces, going up in smoke as a farmer burns them

Many shepherds wonder why this is as they are either forced to burn their commodity, or send it to the British Wool Board, which holds a monopoly over the wool trade in the UK – and many farmers don't see it as doing its job properly when fleeces have so little value.

A full seasons worth of wool, some 1000 fleeces, going up in smoke as a farmer burns them

A full season's worth of wool, some 1000 fleeces, going up in smoke as a farmer burns them