Why is Irish wool worth almost nothing — despite being natural, sustainable, and produced in huge volumes every year?
In this video, I visit an Irish wool processing facility to follow wool from the moment it leaves the sheep to where the real value is (and isn’t) created. As a sheep farmer and shearer, I see wool every day — but most farmers are paid next to nothing for it.
So what’s going on?
We look at:
Why raw Irish wool has such a low price
Where money is made in the wool industry
The costs of handling, processing, and storing wool
Why wool is treated more like a by-product than a commodity
Whether new uses like insulation, felt, and workwear can change the economics
This isn’t a rant — it’s an honest look at the economics of wool, why farmers have disengaged from it, and why the value exists further down the supply chain.
If you’re interested in farming, agricultural economics, sustainability, or where everyday materials actually come from, this one’s for you.
4 Feb 2026 Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris
Is necessity the mother of invention? NO! Latin is, etymologically speaking. That’s just one of many revelations as Jess and Rob investigates words for innovations.
🛗 Could you ‘escalate’ something before the escalator?
🍞 When was sliced bread actually invented?
🩹 What connects zippers, band aids and aspirin?
These questions answered – and many more – in another inventive episode of Words Unravelled.