Prior to the recent war the greatest part of the Irish wool clip was exported, only a very small proportion being considered suitable for home manufacture. Imports of merino and other fine wools declined steeply in the early war years and progressively greater use was made of the home clip for manufacturing purposes here. With this development the desire on the part of merchants and manufacturers for cleaner fleeces marketed in better condition became more insistent. Their greatest complaints were against the use of tar, pitch and paint as substances for branding sheep, the use of bloom dips, which imparted a stain to the wool that would not scour out under the normal scouring processes, and against the inclusion of "daggings" in the fleeces.
The Irish Wool Federation and the Association of Woollen and Worsted Manufacturers pressed for the complete prohibition of tar, pitch and paint, but because alternative branding fluids were not then available in adequate quantities and because the step was considered too drastic, my Department was unable to agree to the proposed prohibition, but to meet the wishes of the trade to some extent and to try and improve the quality of Irish wool for the post-war export trade, the Emergency Powers Clean Wool Order (No. 85 of 1944) was made in March, 1944. Before the Order was made representatives of producers, merchants and other interested parties were consulted.
The provisions of the Clean Wool Order are as follows:—(1) Every person who shears sheep is required before shearing to separate from the fleece all wool on which tar, pitch or paint is present; (2) The purchase or sale of wool on which tar, pitch or paint is present is prohibited; (3) The manufacture, purchase or sale of sheep dip containing unnecessary colouring matter which imparts a stain or colour to the wool is prohibited.
The Order, backed up by propaganda in the nature of posters and leaflets issued by the trade associations in co-operation with this Department, brought about a considerable improvement. The Order was regarded as an educational measure rather than a penal one and prosecutions for contraventions of its provisions were not undertaken.
On the termination of the emergency, it was decided that the provisions of the Order should be embodied in permanent legislation as it would be a retrograde step to go back to the position which existed pre-war. A draft Bill was, accordingly, prepared but representations were again made by the merchants and manufacturers that the improvement brought about under the Emergency Powers Order had not been maintained and that nothing short of the complete prohibition of the use of tar, pitch and and paint would be effective. On further consideration in the Department it was decided to consult representatives of the wool producers, to put the facts before them and to ascertain their views on the total prohibition of the use of these substances.
The necessity for marketing Irish wool in the best possible condition has become all the greater in the post-war period as wool is one of the few raw materials of which there is a very large world surplus. Considerable difficultities are likely to be encountered in maintaining a satisfactory market for Irish wool either at home or abroad unless the highest standards of cleanliness are maintained. It is, in fact, understood that certain American buyers now require a warranty of freedom from tar, pitch or paint before purchasing Irish wool. The difficulty in this country arises mainly in the case of mountain flocks and black face sheep whose owners say that the marking fluids require to be put on at least twice a year and this creates a lot of difficulty for them. On the other hand, there is practically no home market for black face wool and it is necessary that this should be exported in good condition.
I may say that, in all the discussions which took place before this measure was introduced in the Dáil, the producers were made fully aware of its provisions. They did not like some of them, but on hearing the arguments that were advanced in their favour and on becoming aware of the necessity —because of some of the reasons that I have given—for the taking of some action along the lines indicated, they consented to the provisions contained in the Bill.