THE Australian wool industry's December 2010 deadline for an end to surgical mulesing is non negotiable, according to British retailer Marks & Spencer.

In a letter to all its fabric suppliers, Marks & Spencer said it had set a target that by the end of 2010 all wool "bought for our menswear business will come from non-mulesed sources at no additional on-cost to the supply chain".

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 The letter said fabric suppliers would be required to identify and procure wool from non-mulesed sources on behalf of Marks & Spencer.

"Our definition of non-mulesed wool sources includes wool from sheep that have not been mulesed, either as a result of breeding programs or by regional advantage," Marks & Spencer technology head Krishan Hundal said.

"At this time all South African wool is considered to be non-mulesed."

Marks & Spencer would also accept wool from farmers who had ceased mulesing, but still had mulesed sheep in their flock.

The letter also stipulated that the sourcing of non-mulesed must be supported by a certificate of verification or a declaration, such as AWEX's vendor declaration

The stern warning from Marks & Spencer, which has been a strong supporter of Australian wool, follows growing concerns by the US National Retail Federation, representing apparel retailers and brands that Australia was softening it commitment to the deadline.

That concern was ignited by the recent comments by Australian Wool Innovation chairman Wal Merriman questioning whether December 2010 was in fact a deadline.

Will Lempriere, the head of the exporter Lempriere Australia and The Merino Company, which is a supplier to Marks & Spencer, said the deadline issue was very real.

Mr Lempriere said he was annoyed by the criticism he received from some Australian growers for pointing out the realities of the deadline.

"I'm just the messenger, I'm just letting people know what is happening in the market place," he said.

But despite the concerns from retailers, the mulesing issue and deadline attracted scant interest at last week International Wool Textile Organisation conference according to Australian Wool Industry Secretariat executive officer Dr Peter Morgan.

Dr Morgan said this was probably due to the absence of any retailers at the conference, while processor delegates were absorbed in their owns problems resulting from the global financial crisis.