Meet Mike Berry

Mike Berry will be a familiar face to many farmers after 45 years working at British Wool in the South West of England. We met up with Mike to talk about his career in the wool industry.

Firstly, introduce yourself:

I was born on the 2^nd   of July 1960. Married Jackie in 1982, I have two boys, Nick (41) and Liam (39). Two grandchildren, Beatrice (12) and Spencer (5). I started with British Wool on the 14^th of June 1976, my mum’s birthday. I retired after 45 years in 2021.

Tell us about your career at British Wool?

I started at the Buckfastleigh Depot as a casual, then I went on to run the bale store before becoming an apprentice grader around 1983.

The depot at Buckfastleigh closed in 1991 and I moved to the Liskeard Depot as a grader. I then moved to South Molton in 2007 as Depot Manager and retired at the end of August 2021.

When I started at Buckfastleigh the drivers delivered wool loose in the back of trailers and we carried by hand to the grading table. Once we graded the wool back in the early days. We didn’t have lines like we do now but bins where the wool would be moved into. Once there was enough for a bale, the bailing machine staff moved it to the bin and filled with wool. Machinery in the depot has certainly improved for the better. The way we grade wool hasn’t changed from the first day I started. Which is very specialised and shouldn’t change

The Buckfastleigh Depot had three floors. The bottom floor was the bale store. The middle was for the grading. The top floor we used four times a year for wool bale samples from the South West Depots (South Molton, North Tawton, Liskeard, Launceston, Buckfastleigh) ahead of the auctions. The buyers would view the samples on a Monday and Tuesday. We held the auction on a Wednesday at a hotel in Exeter.

What did the role of being a Depot Manager entail? Describe a typical week in the role.

A typical week as a Depot Manager (certainly not 39 hours) was organising staff, dealing with hauliers delivering wool and collecting sale wool, speaking with members, making sure collection sites were running smoothly, dealing with contractors and grading wool daily.

I enjoyed most aspects of working for British Wool especially the shows, but most of all spending as much time as possible at the grading table. Being a Depot Manager, I found working on the production floor was the best way of getting the most out of your staff, my least favourite part was doing office work.

As British Wool celebrates 75 years, it couldn’t be more crucial that British Wool continues to provide a service for members and buyers. I believe if British Wool wasn’t there the UK wool trade would struggle to survive

I still support British Wool by judging at shows and meeting the many farmers I have met and become to know over the years.