Travel with DILLING to Patagonia, Argentina
A visit to the family farms that supply our organic merino wool.
At DILLING, we are very lucky that most of our customers are interested in the same things as us. Therefore, they ask lots of different questions about different topics and one of the topics that comes up repeatedly is about animal welfare, because animal welfare is very important. It is very important to know where the wool in your DILLING sweater comes from, and how the sheep themselves live. Therefore, we would like to invite you to Patagonia.
You can trust that we have carefully selected, Fuhrmann, our supplier. We looked into the certifications of the company, such as GOTS, and asked about the production and conditions of the animals. However, we like to see these things with our own eyes. Therefore, our director, Morten Dilling, travelled to Patagonia in Argentina in the spring to visit the farms and talk to the organic farmers.
Morten Dilling tells us about it…
''It was a wonderful and positive experience visiting the Argentinian farmers, as well as the factories where the wool is prepared for spinning. I could sense a feeling of passion regarding the production of the organic wool, and it was obvious that they shared many of the same values as us at DILLING. For example, the first topic we discussed when visiting one of the factories was global warming. Global warming is something both Fuhrmann and the farmers are genuinely worried about. Therefore, the farmers associated with Fuhrmann use wind or solar power to pump water to the sheep’s fields, even though this is not an essential part of being an organic farmer.''
Animal welfare
''Another topic they were happy to discuss was the welfare of their animals. The farmers I met were truly interested in the wellbeing of their sheep for multiple reasons. Firstly, they cared about the animals themselves and wanted them to live happily. Secondly, the farmers believed that happier sheep produce nicer wool. Therefore, they saw it was in their best interest to give the animals good living conditions. If you want to know more about the sheep’s conditions, you can look at the page ‘our approach to a clean production’.''
A natural part of the system
''In Patagonia, there is lots of land between the different farms, therefore the sheep can graze on enormous areas of natural vegetation. On our above 200km trip from one farm to the next, we didn’t just see sheep in these ‘fields’, but also wild ostriches and antelopes. As a result, the sheep are a natural part of the system and they can even thrive in areas with sparse vegetation.''
The Gómez family
''One of the last things I would like to mention concerns a single farm I visited. The farm was run by a mother and her three adult children. Two of her children went to veterinary school over 1000km away from home, but they then came back to help out on the farm. This made a huge impression on me.''
Do you want to know more? Take a look at our page on animal welfare or visit our supplier Fuhrmann.
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