Good news for whipmakers?

[rjallen70]

Demand for Australian leather has dropped to an all-time low as worldwide consumers cut back on luxury items.

Since mid-September, farmers have seen the price for a medium-weight hide fall from A$35 ($24.3) to a low of A$9.

[bernie47]

Unfortunately not I'm afraid. If you look into this a bit more you will find it boils down to big companies trying to drive smaller businesses out. There's a bit of a battle going on here in Tasmania at the moment between large meat companies trying to stop smaller operators from processing there skins. Of coarse the only companies who can process the skins are the larger companies who are trying very hard ,but are unable due to anti monopoly laws , to refuse to take smaller operators skins for processing.If a small slaughter house operator can't sell his skins or get them processed at a reasonably price that takes a big chunk of his profits. Even at $35.00 per skin for a farmer at the farm gate it still makes for a very poor return when you realise that at the current price of good red hide at $172.00 AUSD per square meter with average side being 2.5 meters it would make a full hide at 5 square meters cost $860.00 AUSD Someone is making some money somewhere and it isn't the farmer and I doubt it will be whip makers because I can't really see the price dropping. This is one of the reasons I stopped making red hide bull whips. I still make red hide stock whips mainly because they are only four plait and quick to make but if the cost of red hide keeps rising that will stop soon as well.

[bluzharp]

That's very interesting news, Bernie. Thanks for the update!