Farmers from Caernarfonshire got an insight into how wool is tested and analysed for quality, when they visited the Wool Testing Authority Europe Ltd. laboratory in Caernarfon. The company operates from the Cibyn Industrial Estate in Caernarfon, and tests wool from producers across Europe.
The tour was arranged by Courtney Pye, the Managing Director of the company, and members enjoyed learning about how the laboratory tests wool from a number of European countries.
FUW Caernarfon County Chairman Dafydd Williams said: “We all really enjoyed this visit and were certainly surprised to learn that it is the only laboratory of its kind in the Northern Hemisphere.”
The laboratory is fully equipped to carry out tests for the accurate and reliable measurement of an extensive range of wool characteristics and the prediction of processing performance. Wool is such an amazing product with different types of wool being suitable for different uses. To make sure that our wool is used for the right product, it needs to be tested.
“Through the testing they can also detect disease and establish how stressed the animals have been - it really was fascinating and I thank Courtney Pye and Gavin Jones for arranging this visit,” added Dafydd Williams.