IN CASE you missed it, the other big wool news item last week was the cancellation of the World Sheep and Wool Congress scheduled for Sydney on April 6-9.

News of the cancellation was no doubt trumped by Brenda McGahan's resignation from Australian Wool Innovation.

Reasons for the cancellation included a lack of delegate registrations, but more so, a lack of financial support from Meat and Livestock Australia and AWI.

The congress, which has been three years in the planning, won a hefty $250,000 grant from the Rudd Government more than a year ago.

The NSW Government had also agreed to chip in another $30,000.

And in attempt to give the congress credibility and to win further funding support, the organising committee, headed by NSW prime lamb producer Ben Watts, appointed Dubbo sheep and lamb processor and AWI director Roger Fletcher as congress chairman.

But it seemed his appointment was to no avail, particularly in convincing AWI to assist.

The basic cost to attend the congress was listed at $690 and the full agenda, including the social activities, would have have been $950.

Organisers report receiving 100 registrations to date.

The only assistance AWI was prepared to provide was to allow congress delegates to attend the Australian Wool Fashion Awards held in conjunction with the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

C&C understands the real reason AWI was offside with congress organisers was that one of the speakers was Erik Autor of the US National Retail Federation.

The federation, which was a signatory to the 2010 mulesing deadline agreement, is insisting Australian wool growers remain faithful to the deadline if they want to see US retailers stick with wool.

C&C suspects it was a message the current AWI board didn't want to be told too loudly.

Reaction to the cancellation has been one of disappointment.

"Being the world's leading wool exporter and a major lamb exporter it doesn't look good for Australia," Peter Morgan, of the Australian Wool Industries Secretariat, said.

But then again, the kerfuffle currently going on at AWI is not the sort of thing we want overseas visitors to see or hear either.