What To Do (Step By Step)

Prepare for shearing by updating your account, using the correct wool sheets, and minimising contamination.

After shearing, handle, pack, and label wool correctly to maintain quality and maximise returns.

Before Shearing…

Step 1

Update/Register your account

Ensure your account with Ulster Wool is up-to-date or register a new one to streamline your wool handling and sales process. This step is crucial for accessing services, tracking your wool deliveries, and staying informed about important updates.

Register

Step 2

Collect wool sheets and labels

Wool should be delivered to Ulster Wool in correctly labelled wool sheets. These sheets will be provided by your local depot or collection site before the new wool season.

Use our Depot Locator to find your nearest location and obtain your wool sheets and labels ahead of shearing.

Collect Wool Sheets

Step 3

Attend a shearing or wool handling course

Enhance your shearing and wool handling skills with one of our Highfield certified courses before you begin shearing.

 

 

 

Book a Course

Step 4

Maximise your clip vaule

The following faults can reduce the value of your wool. Please ensure your wool is delivered in good condition to maximise its value. Here are some things to avoid:

  • Excessive Marking
  • Dip Colouring
  • Wet Fleeces
  • Damaged Fleeces
  • Excess Vegetable Matter
  • Daggings
  • Unrolled Fleeces
  • Polypropylene/Nylon Contamination

Step 5

Fleece presentation

After shearing, spread the fleece on a clean surface with the flesh side down (for Blackface, Herdwick, and Rough Fell breeds, lay it flesh side up).

Key Points to Remember:

  • Remove debris and daggings.
  • Pack fleeces separately by breed, colour, and wool type.
  • Keep hill wool, lowland wool, and oddments separate.
  • Roll fleeces properly for grading and full payment.
  • Avoid fibre contamination to maintain wool quality and value.

Step 6

A well packed sheet

To help our depots operate smoothly, please ensure wool sheets are evenly filled and well packed. A correctly packed sheet should hold around 80kg of wool, though this may vary by wool type. Using a packing frame, which can be bought from Ulster Wool or improvised with farm gates, can help with even packing.

Ulster Wool handles about 1.5 million kilos of wool annually from over 3,000 farmers, so it’s crucial that all wool sheets are clearly labelled. Each sheet should include:

  • Member’s name
  • Address
  • Registration number (a unique seven-digit code)

Labels are provided with the wool sheets – attach one to the outside and place another inside with the wool. If using a haulier, please complete the provided paperwork.

Depot & Drop Off Locator

Step 7

Deliver your wool

Contact our Muckamore depot, drop-off site or haulier to arrange a time slot. If you are unsure where your nearest site or haulier is, follow the link to our Depot Locator.

If you are delivering to one of our drop-off sites, please locate and scan our QR code using your mobile phone to register your wool delivery. This will notify Ulster Wool and link the delivery to your account, enabling any payments due to be processed within 5 working days.

Here is a quick guide to using the QR code:

  1. Find the QR code at your drop-off point.
  2. Open your phone’s camera app.
  3. Point the camera at the QR code until a yellow outline and link appear.
  4. Tap the yellow link.
  5. Complete the form on the website that opens and click “Submit.”
Depot & Drop Off Locator