Wool Expert Walter Aigner

How many countries have you travelled to for your documentary?

I've travelled to 15 countries so far - from Scandinavia to Belgium, Germany and Portugal. Romania and Bulgaria are also included.

Did you only visit the shepherds or did you also visit wool processing companies?

First and foremost, I met people who work somehow with European wool. I also met scientists, a historian and a geographer in a German nature park. Occasionally, of course, we ended up filming at a shepherd's place. I accompanied two shepherds in Transylvania through their working year with the camera. Because who knows what the work of a shepherd actually looks like?

You have quite a lot of knowledge about the influence of sheep farming on many areas of society. You once said that sheep farming has made our landscape what it is today.

When we look at Europe today, many people think that a meadow, a piece of forest or a mountain landscape with alpine pastures is nature. But these are cultivated landscapes that have been shaped by humans and their animals over thousands of years. Much of the agricultural land is pastureland. 

The green hills of England, the open mountain landscapes of the Alps - all these are the result of grazing. The ruminants ensure an incredibly biodiverse landscape, as their excrement serves as fertiliser and carries plant seeds. But we don't give a shepherd enough money for his products so that he can make a living from his work, so humiliating subsidies are needed.

But that applies to agriculture as a whole, doesn't it?

Yes, but we have to ask ourselves: ‘Why aren't farmers’ products and services paid for in a way that makes them worthwhile?’ 

Grazing also has other functions, such as erosion control. You can see this in dyke maintenance in northern Germany or Holland. Sheep keep the sward on the dykes young and fresh. This prevents bushes or trees from settling and weakening the dyke. The same applies in the Alps. Sheep farming is important for erosion and avalanche protection. In southern Europe, the risk of forest fires is a major issue. Sheep and goats remove bushes, leaves and dead wood from the forests. If we no longer have sheep and goats, this flammable material remains in the forest and devastating firestorms can occur.

If there are no more shepherds, not only will their jobs disappear. Their families, butchers, shearers, wool processors and other professions associated with sheep farming also move away. This leads to an increased rural exodus and the collapse of rural ecosystems and economies. 

To prevent all this, we pay high subsidies, but are not prepared to pay the shepherds properly for their services via their products. For me, this is a dead end.

Can you roughly outline how much wool is actually used? Using the example of perhaps five or six countries?

Nobody knows exactly how much wool there is. Wool is considered an animal by-product and is only recorded when it is washed or transported across national borders, i.e. when it is exported or imported. 

We assume that there are around 60 million sheep in the EU. So I come up with perhaps 100 million kilos of washed wool. I would be very surprised if we use more than 1/3 of that at the moment. The current situation in Spain is very bad. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Chinese have stopped buying Spanish merino wool. Spain is the motherland of merino sheep and three years' wool harvests are piling up in the warehouses. 

Romania has over 10 million sheep and is the second largest sheep farming country in Europe. When I drive through Transylvania, I see piles of rotting wool everywhere. I estimate that at most 10 per cent of the wool is used in Romania, and not even that much in Bulgaria. In Germany and Austria it's probably around 30 per cent. Italy and Denmark are below that. Things look a little better in Sweden. Here I would assume that around 50% of the wool is used.

Why is that? What are the obstacles and problems in upgrading our domestic wool?

The main problem is the incredible amount of synthetic fibres that are being pushed onto the market by the oil industry at rock-bottom prices. The consequential damage is borne by the environment, our health and also the wool. 

Of the 1,000 sheep breeds that exist worldwide, we have 600 in Europe. Combined with small flock sizes and the decline of the local textile industry, this creates a very difficult situation.

So is a solution ultimately a political question?

And a consumer decision, because ultimately we as consumers influence politics and we make purchasing decisions. Our voting behaviour decides who is at the top. In Europe, we would have a rich upper class and a very large middle class with purchasing power that would have the money to support wool with a conscious decision. For me, luxury would be developing the most sustainable product in its class and offering it to the consumer.

What else could be done to bring the value of wool and the appreciation of wool back to the fore?

We urgently need more research in Europe. In North America, there are research results from the last six years that show that wool is positive for the climate. The regenerative grazing of grassland stores more CO₂ in the soil than is released through the production of wool - i.e. through the management of the farm.

Do you think that proving that sheep farming in Europe with pasture grazing is CO2-neutral or even positive could help to reject polyester fibres as an alternative?

That would be nice, but we would need a media tsunami to be able to stand up to the oil lobby's advertising money. 

Because you mentioned research: What would be some big or important areas of application where wool might work well?

Wool could be used perfectly in the construction industry and large quantities could be used. My big wish would be a moth repellent approved in Europe that is permanently bonded to the wool. So that I have security when I use wool as an insulating material. 

And there is also a problem with medium quantities of 300 to 3,000 kg of wool. We need research in the textile machinery sector in order to process such quantities locally and efficiently. 

You are also a lover of the material and have met many idealists and wool lovers. Is there a project that you have grown particularly fond of on your journey?

I love the Laines Paysannes group, which processes the wool of some sheep farmers in the Pyrenees into very different products - from knitted socks and jumpers to carpets, with incredible enthusiasm and under great difficulties. I see how Rosa Pomar in Portugal has been producing knitting yarns for more than 15 years and how well her company is established on the market. Klippan in Sweden sells very successful blankets made from Swedish sheep's wool, which was destroyed just a few years ago. 

I see how Baur Vliesstoffe makes great things with swisswool and lavalan. And what designer Christien Meindertsma is developing in Holland.

We need these lighthouse projects for European wool.