Biella The Wool Company: “A Pillow for Coexistence.”

Scenario

The economy related to sheep farming is undergoing an overall decline affecting both food production and wool marketing. This is evidenced by the price of milk and meat that has been declining for more than a decade, reducing profit margins for farmers, and the substantial unsaleability of wool obtained from sheep shearing. Until the early 1990s, shearing was done twice a year, reducing the cycles of washing and cleaning greasy wool, ensuring better product quality and providing farmers with a decent profit. Today wool tends mostly to be characterized as special waste for which no revenue can be expected, only costs (three euros per head for shearing, to which disposal charges must be added).

The initiative promotes the use of sheep wool to support farmers whose sheep are vulnerable to wolf attacks and also the use of a resource that is no longer valued nowadays. “The valorization of wool is a key element in protecting a heritage as important to our area as sheep farming and ensuring the right compensation for farmers. With this small project we wanted to give a signal, to show that wool can once again become a resource and that through the involvement of different local professionals it is possible to start planning an activity to recover this material.” This made it possible to collect more than 1,300 kilograms of suicide wool from four farms in Piedmont, which was then processed by Biella The Wool Company, it is finally turned into soft pillows for pets. The project also provides for the farmers to be paid in advance before the pillows are sold so that they can be supported and, most importantly, continue their work.

Description

Description Pilot Project: “A Pillow for Coexistence”

The “A Pillow for Coexistence” project was initiated by the Maritime Alps Protected Areas Authority under the LIFE WolfAlps EU, with support from Io non ho paura del lupo APS. The initiative promotes the use of sheep wool to support farmers whose sheep are vulnerable to wolf attacks and also the use of a resource that nowadays is no longer valued, causing huge losses for local farmers.

Goals

• Wool valorization: Creating new economic opportunities for farmers by using sheep wool.

• Financial support to farmers: Earmarked from revenues to the Coexistence Fund 2024.

Activities Carried Out

• Harvested 1,300 kg of greasy wool from four Piedmont farms. The wool was processed by Biella The Wool Company and made into animal pillows by artisans in the Langhe.

• Produced 80 pillows sold for 45 euros each, for total proceeds of 3,600 euros.

• Paid 1,338 euros to farmers and allocated 1,922 euros to the Coexistence Fund, net of expenses.

Results

• Demonstrated feasibility of exploiting wool as an economic resource

• Supporting farmers financially

• Promoting coexistence between humans and wolves

• Although not all of the pillows were sold, “I’m not afraid of the wolf” still paid the farmers involved, urging them to continue to support the initiative by purchasing the still-available pillows by providing actionable plans to transform those who participate from being part of the problem to being part of the solution.
  

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