Alpaca fibre, shearing and clip preparation

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FACT SHEET

Alpaca has been used as a textile fibre in South America for centuries. About 90% (three million) of the world’s alpaca population is found in Peru. The quantity of alpaca fibre on the world market is very small compared with wool (about 0.1%).

With only a small herd in Australia it is generally considered to be desirable to value add to the fibre to maximise the returns to Australian growers.

Fibre characteristics

Mother Nature designed the ideal fibre for use by mankind and then placed it on the gentle Alpaca. There are no negative characteristics to be found in the alpaca’s fleece.

Alpacas produce a coat of many colours with wonderful properties.

There are 22 recognised shades from pure white to jet black, through all the various shades of creams, fawns, browns and greys.

The fibre is unusually strong and resilient - strength is not compromised by fineness.

Evolution has provided alpaca fibre with more thermal capacity than most other animal fibre. It is wonderfully light, yet remarkably warm.

Alpaca has a natural, rich lustre giving 100% alpaca garments high visual effect, even more distinctive in the Suri type.

The fibre also dyes well, enhancing colours with its natural sheen.

Alpaca makes beautiful suiting cloth for men and women and can be blended with silk, cashmere and fine wool.

A range of doonas, yarns, coats, pullovers and socks are
readily available on the Australian market.

Markets

Alpaca is making steady inroads into the Australian fashion industry and many garment manufacturers are describing alpaca as a luxurious fibre. “It’s rare, it’s got a great feel and quality. It has wonderful softness and handle, it drapes beautifully, it can be worn next to the skin. It has wonderful strength, its wears well and does not pill as readily as other fibres. It has got the best of both worlds - it’s got glamour, softness and strength.” (Carl Dowd, Maggie T Corporation.)

Until recently, the importers and consumers of alpaca tops, yarns, woven cloths and knitted garments were mainly Japan, Europe and USA. However over the past two years the quantity of alpaca purchased by the Chinese has increased significantly. In addition the imports by Korea and its neighbouring countries indicate an upsurge in its use in the world garment industry.

In Europe mills use alpaca in the very finest cloth in the world. With the emergence of Asia as a consumer of quality fashion apparel, demand is increasing on a world wide basis.

This augers well for the Australian alpaca industry as the relatively small alpaca population (both overseas and at home) means that production of alpaca fibre is low. Demand for quality alpaca fibre currently exceeds supply.

Preparation for shearing

Whether preparing to shear one animal, or a large number, preparation for shearing starts in the
paddock. Major problems are caused by excessive vegetable matter contamination, particularly clover burr. If vegetable matter contamination is very bad, fibre will have little commercial value.
Prevention is the best cure. Shearing should be before the grass seed season. Other methods used to prevent contamination may include pasture topping (chemical or mechanical) or shedding. As alpacas love to roll, dust can also be a problem in the fleece, but unless it is extremely heavy it will scour (wash) out.

A purpose built shed is desirable, but other sheds may be adapted. Animals should be separated from the shearing area, which in turn should be separated from the fibre handling area. Sheep shearing equipment is used but the plant should be run at a slower speed to prevent overheating because of the lack of grease.

Shearing

Until recently alpacas have generally been tied between two posts for shearing, using ropes and leg spreading boards. While this method
works well for smaller herds the development of shearing tables, with animals restrained at waist level rather than on the ground, is desirable when managing larger numbers.

Alpacas should be presented for shearing in colour, age and sex order. Generally the light coloured and finest are shorn first so that fleeces can be best sorted.

During the shearing process the various parts of the fleece should be separated as they have different end uses. The parts are the saddle, neck, legs, belly and apron. The saddle is the best part of the fleece; the neck is often similar but shorter; the belly, legs and apron are usually stronger and may include coarse guard hair.

Clip preparation and classing

The object of clip preparation is to maximize the potential return for the fibre. The amount of clip preparation will depend on the number of animals, the amount of information available on individual animals and experience. The major physical characteristics to be considered when classing the clip are fibre diameter (micron), handle, colour and length.

Fibre diameter

Fibre diameter is measured in microns and is the single most important commercial raw fibre characteristic. Alpaca fibre is currently classed for fineness (as denoted by the Australian Alpaca Cooperative) into:

• Superfine                 less than 20 microns
• Fine                         20-24.9 microns
• Medium                    25-29.9 microns
• Strong                     30+ microns.

Necks are shorter, but if they are of similar fibre diameter and meet the minimum length criteria, they may be placed in the fleece line. Legs, bellies and aprons are invariably strong (over 30 microns). They can be bulked together as light and dark colours into a Pieces line.

Colour

Alpacas come in more than 20 colours. Many colours are currently amalgamated because of insufficient quantities. The main colour groups are white, fawn, brown, black and grey.

Length

Alpacas should be shorn annually with an expected fleece length between 75 mm and 120 mm. Different manufacturing processes and machinery will dictate the way fibre is prepared so length requirements may vary depending on the marketing method chosen. Current descriptions for length (denoted by the Australian Alpaca Cooperative) are:

• AAA         75 mm to 140 mm
• AA           40 mm to less than 75 mm
• A             less than 40 mm.

Some spinners often request and prefer longer fleeces, while in excess of 140 mm is considered by the commercial sector to be ‘overgrown’.

Packaging and dispatch

Various methods of packaging fibre have been tried. The most important factors to be considered are that packs are non-contaminating, and that they are well labelled. Each consignment should include the owners’ name, address and a description of the fibre in each bag. If there are fleece test results, particularly the fibre diameter (micron), these should be included with the fleece.

At this stage of the industry’s development in Australia, most growers package fleeces individually, but some are starting to batch together fleeces of the same fibre diameter (micron), colour and length.

Fibre marketing

There are two major marketing bodies for alpaca fibre in Australia.

(1) The Australian Alpaca Cooperative Ltd at Geelong, was started in 1995 and now has members in all States. The Cooperative’s mission is to value add members’ fibre and promote and sell quality products. A range of doonas, yarns, pullovers, coats and socks are produced and product development is ongoing.

(2) The Australian Alpaca Fibre Marketing Organisation Pty Ltd (AAFMO), at Narrandera is a private enterprise broker, preparing and offering fibre for sale on behalf of alpaca breeders.

Some growers sell their best fibre to hand spinners, but this market is limited and unlikely to grow beyond a cottage industry stage.

Last update: January, 2002

Agdex: 466/80

Author:
South Australian Region, Australian Alpaca Association Inc.

Photo acknowledgment: Northwest Alpacas.

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