Sheep production and particularly wool production are one of the most important productive activities in the country since the last century.

The wool industry in Uruguay is mainly oriented to export markets.  Eighty percent of the wool produced is exported as wool-tops.  A remaining 10% is processed by the local manufacturing textile industry to produce fabrics and garments both for exporting and home consumption.

Wool and wool products have constituted for many years the main source of export revenue in the country.  Between 1990 and 1998 wool exports averaged U$S 334 million per year,  representing between  8% and 21% of total export income in the country.

Uruguay has a  total area of 17.6 million ha, of which approximately 14.5 million (90%) can be considered as productive and suitable for agricultural production.  The agricultural area comprises 84% of native pastures, improved pastures (10%) and crops and horticulture (6%).

Climatic conditions are quite uniform throughout the country with an annual average of 85 days of rain and a volume of 1.200 mm.  Average daily temperatures range from 12º C in July to 24º C in January, with an average of 30 frosts per year, but no snow.

The areas under native pastures (12 million ha) and improved pastures (1.6 million ha) are utilized for grazing sheep (14 million), beef cattle (9.5 million) and dairy cattle (0.8 million). 

SHEEP PRODUCTION

Sheep production must be considered in the context of mixed livestock production systems since there are virtually no farms engaged exclusively in the  production of sheep.  Total number of farms running more than 200 sheep is 14.000, and production systems in which sheep production takes place can be described as semi extensive to extensive.

This situation is quite similar throughout the country and basically there is no specialization of farms to particular production such as fat lambs, or the production of cross-bred ewes, to be used in cross-breeding systems for the production of meat.

The main objective of the sheep industry is the production of wool, sheep meat being a by product.  In an average mixed farm, gross income from wool represents 70% of total sheep income.  The present breed distribution and the stock structure clearly reflect this situation.

Sheep numbers, after the lowest value so far in 1974 (14.7 million) have been increasing steadily, reaching a peak in 1991 with 25.9 million.  Since then, total sheep numbers have decreased, reaching  10 million in 2004.  (see Figure 1).

Figure 1:Sheep Numbers (million heads)

There have been marked changes in the proportion of breeds with the years.  An initial period of grading up to Merino–type breeds imported from Europe, USA and  Australia, was followed by a strong predominance of  Lincoln and Romney crosses at the beginning of this century when there was an important demand for mutton meat in Europe.  In 1930, after a period of alternated cross–breeding systems using Lincoln and Merino rams it started a process of grading–up to imported Merino related breeds from Australia and New Zealand, mainly Corriedale and Polwarth.

The present distribution of breeds shows a clear predominance of  “dual-purpose”  breeds, producing fine to medium crossbred type wool.

Table 1:  Distribution of  breeds

Most of the sheep farms are based on the direct utilization of native pastures.  Therefore, wool production and reproductive rates are closely dependent of weather conditions throughout the year.  In general, on a national level, nutrition is the main factor limiting increases in production per head and stocking rates.

Uruguay has always placed great emphasis in the implementation of sheep breeding programs.  Subjective selection systems, implemented in 1935, were complemented in 1969 by the development of  the Flock-Testing Service which included objective measurements of wool traits.  They both have ensured than the genetic level of our flocks is not a limiting factor for the increase in production.  The Flock-Testing Service is a centralized ram performance recording scheme which is run by SUL and includes most of the more important studs, with a total of 16.000 rams being tested each year.  Since 1994 there are six Central Progeny Testing schemes operating in the country in order to have more precise genetic evaluations of the rams being used.

Average national production figures of greasy wool weight/head range from 3.7 to 4.1 Kg., 90% of which corresponds to fleece wool and the rest to belly wool.

WOOL  PRODUCTION

Wool is mainly exported in the form of tops.  This is the result of a large investing process in the country, even though the amount of labour employed is significantly high. Other textile products with larger added value are also exported, such as yarns, fabrics, garments, bedcovers, and rugs(see Figure 2).

 Fig. 2: EVOLUTION OF WOOL EXPORTS

(Greasy basis)
                              

The breakdown of the Uruguayan clip in terms of fibre diameter (microns) in an  “average” year is shown in Figure 3, and is the logical consequence of the proportion of existing breeds and the structure of the national flock by categories.  About  70% of the clip is concentrated in the range of 25 to 30 microns.

Figure 3: Diameter distribution of the Uruguayan clip (%)

With that micron profile it is possible to manufacture a wide range of end-products.

As a consequence of production systems being based on native pastures, and the predominant climate conditions, there is a low incidence of dust penetration and tip weathering and a very low vegetable matter content.  Uruguayan wools normally present remarkable values of staple and fibre lengths;  high values of staple strength (40-42 Newtons/ktex), good colour and very low vegetable matter  content (less than 0.5%).  Do to their high crimping, uruguayan wools present higher values of resistance to compression, resulting in yarns and fabrics of higher bulk and firmer handle.

THE WOOL TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN URUGUAY

Wool textile industry is the second one in importance in the country occupying nearly 14% of total labour in  the manufacturing industries.

The composition of wool exports from Uruguay in the last 25 years clearly shows a steady increase in the amount of wool exported as tops (see Table 2)

Table 2:  Composition of raw wool exports (%)

  Source:  SUL based on BROU data

The volume of tops exported reached 33.2 million kg in 97/98 representing  16,6 % of the world trade in wool tops, being Uruguay the second world exporter.  In 98/99 exports of tops were slightly reduced to 32 million kg.

Early stage processing is well established in Uruguay and this is the consequence of very strong investments in the combing sector during the last 15 years.  There are presently   7 combing plants, with  enough capacity to process all the fleece wool produced annually.

EXPORT MARKETS FOR URUGUAYAN WOOL

In the last years China has become our main client, buying   35,5 % of total uruguayan wool exports in the 98/99 season.  Other major importers include: Italy 20,2 %, Germany 21,6 % and United Kingdom 5,2% (see Figure 4).

Destination of total wool exports in % (greasy basis)

  CONCLUDING REMARKS

 The importance of the wool industry in the country led to the Uruguayan wool-growers to create in 1968 a private organization, the Uruguayan Wool Secretariat (S.U.L.), with the objectives of supporting and promoting the production, processing and consumption of wool.

In order to accomplish these objectives, S.U.L., with a technical staff of 50 people, carries out a wide range of activities which include : applied research in sheep production aspects, technology transfer of new techniques, sheep breeding programs, shearer´s training courses, wool market analysis and information, the promotion of Uruguayan wool and cooperation with the government, manufacturers and the wool trade. It also operates a wool laboratory servicing  woolgrowers, exporters, top-makers and Woolmark licensees, that has the recognition of Interwoollabs.

S.U.L., as a grower’s  organization will continue supporting research and development programs aimed at improving the intrinsic properties and the processing performance of our wools.  Special emphasis will continue to be placed in the adoption by farmers of production technology to improve the quantity and quality of wool produced, in the development of wool harvesting and handling procedures in order to eliminate contamination and improve the quality of uruguayan tops.  

	Uruguay has been the only American wool producing country, member of the International Wool Secretariat (IWS) whose objectives are the research, innovation and promotion of wool in the world.  Uruguay continues being an associate a member of The Woolmark Company together with Australia, having the control and administration of the WOOLMARK in Uruguay.
PURE NEW   WOOL