Farmers are turning woollen fleeces into compost because prices have fallen so low that it is not worth trying to sell them.
The value of sheep wool has been falling in recent years as consumers switch to carpets, furnishings and clothing made from synthetic fibres. Five years ago a fleece was worth 87p a kilogram. This had fallen to 59p by last year.
Then the price dropped to 33p after export markets closed for several months because of the coronavirus pandemic, meaning wool could not be sold to countries including China and Japan.
British wool is also used for carpets in cruise ships, hotels, airports and casinos, all badly hit by Covid-19.
Some farmers realised that, for the first time, it would cost them more