WOOL auctions will continue to break for three weeks in the middle of the year.
Cardings & Combings has obtained the latest wool-selling program for the 2013-14 season, and the three-week break is in there again.
That's despite lobbying from parts of the industry to squash this break down to two weeks, and make the flow of wool on to the market more even.
The three-week stop will again mean the market runs for only two weeks into the new selling season before going into hiatus for three weeks. Then there is the next three-week break over Christmas.
C&C can understand all things slow down around Christmas, so it's logical there is a fair break around there. But why does the industry continue to back the big break in the middle of the year?
Evidently, the National Council of Wool Selling Brokers of Australia made a pretty detailed submission to the committee which schedules wool sales.
It was the subject of a lengthy discussion at the national auction selling committee's latest meeting.
The brokers' argument was that offerings go up immediately after the break, influencing prices.
That's what has happened in the past three seasons so the brokers wanted to try to even out the flow of wool.
But a tied vote had the sellers wanting the change while the buyers still wanted the three-week break.
Committee minutes state buyers want the break to "service clients, business planning and some leave".
The evidently lengthy discussion ended in a deadlock so, at the suggestion of the independent chairman, the status quo remained. There is also a three-week break tentatively booked in for the 2014-15 selling season.
But C&C is sure the issue will be on the agenda again next February.
