New on-farm wool scanning technology could be the answer to the waning quality of New Zealand's strong wool clip.
The Fibrescan 1100 fleece testing machine has been developed by Pastoral Measurements Ltd.
Spokesperson Don Morrison says decades of low wool returns have led to a greater focus on meat production in sheep flocks, at the expense of both wool supply and quality.
He says fleeces have become straighter and have lost bulk. Curvature is important because it holds wool together.
Mr Morrison says the new technology is an important step in lifting the quality of wool again.
