Kia Ora Merino is responsible for developing Ethical, Sustainable, Profitable wool production (E.S.P. Wool). We have amalgamated quality, welfare, environmental standards with the Sustainable Development Goal Indicators and drafted a plan to exceed these.
Project implemented: June 2016
Our goal is to produce wool, following best practice, in an earth, people and animal friendly manner.
Our work enhances the provenance of wool produced in Australia and exported to the world by highlighting the SDG it meets.
We return to the earth what has been taken and ensure no sediment runoff into the waterways.
We ensure a healthy work life balance, safety of workers and good remuneration.
We respect the five freedoms of animals.
As a producer we acknowledged that agriculture was historically a huge driver for biodiversity loss. There is also a need for agriculture to feed the world. As a farmer living on and managing agricultural land we made a plan to be earth, people and animal friendly. We pursued productivity, which facilitated profit and in return have shut off land, predominantly riparian areas, for biodiversity. We use some chemicals to optimise, not maximise, productivity and ensure none leave the property, protecting waterways and biodiversity areas. We developed and documented our Ethical Sustainable Profitable (E.S.P.) wool production plan is guide and describe our practice.