Wool bales swapped for low quality product sold to China

Chinese wool buyers have been fleeced of high quality wool bales that were illegally swapped for unusable wool produce before they were shipped out of Melbourne.

Victoria Police believes the swaps have been occurring since May, with buyers in China discovering the thefts once the low quality bales arrived.

China takes 75 per cent of Australia’s wool, making it a lifeblood for growers, National Council of Wool Selling Brokers executive director Chris Wilcox says.

‘China is a vital destination for our wool,’ he said.

‘We’ve worked hard to maintain the quality image and the potential for damage to that reputation is really concerning.’

Mr Wilcox said the inferior wool bales contained black and coloured wool, which would have ruined any material made if it had gone that far.

He doesn’t think permanent damage was done to the Chinese-Australia relationship – as long as the scam is stopped and the culprits found.

Detective Inspector Jamie Templeton said replacing high-value wool with a significantly lower-value product was a serious offence.

Bales of wool (pictured here) at DLP Woolbrokering Services in North Laverton, Melbourne

‘This is not only due to the total value of the wool stolen but also the potential damage it poses to the Australian export industry,’ Det Insp Templeton said on Wednesday.

‘These thefts are incredibly damaging to the livelihood and reputations of the brokers who export this product.

‘We believe there may be more people who have been a victim of these thefts and we encourage them to come forward and report it to police.’

More bales of wool, seen here at a closer range, shown at the press conference on Wednesday