NZ Companies Launch World’s First Wool-Based Colour for 3D Printing Filament
A collaboration between two New Zealand companies will see wool used as a renewable colour source for 3D printing.
The wool industry hopes for some lifting of COVID-19 restrictions limiting shearing and crutching to animal welfare reasons only.
“The shearing and crutching that is happening is taking place in the sheds where the contractors are helping to introduce social distancing protocols,” says Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman Miles Anderson.
“The staff are all 2m away from each other and that sort of thing. So, the shearing and crutching that is happening on farm is taking a bit longer.
“Any wool that has been shorn in the last several weeks is being stored on farm.”
He hopes some restrictions are lifted as pre-lamb shearing was coming up which is an extremely busy time for the contractors.
“The last thing you need is to for them to fall that far behind that they can't do what is in front of them.”
It will depend what the levels look like but only business as usual with a few more health and safety protocols will enable the necessary work to get done.
“There will be more sheep queuing up to be shorn, crutched etc which could pose issues for the industry if the current situation extends well into May. There could be a hell of a number of stock needing to be shorn.”
The North Island lambs earlier so will want to start their pre-lamb preparation and the “big squeeze” in the South Island will come in June.
Āta Regenerative is bringing international expertise to New Zealand to help farmers respond to growing soil and water challenges, as environmental monitoring identifies declining ecosystem function and reduced water-holding capacity across farms.
Yili's New Zealand businesses have reported record profits following a major organisational and strategic transformation.
Owners and lessees of certain Hino Trucks New Zealand diesel vehicles have just 10 days remaining to register or opt out of a proposed $10.9 million class action settlement.
Silver Fern Farms has successfully produced and delivered 90 tonnes of premium chilled New Zealand lamb and beef to the United Arab Emirates via airfreight.
For the first three months of 2026, new tractor deliveries saw an increase over the previous two months, resulting in year-to-date deliveries climbing to 649 units - around 5% ahead of the same period in 2025.
QU Dongyu, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has issued a warning saying that global fertiliser scarcity caused by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz will lead to lower yields and tightening food supplies into 2027.

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