Sheep sector allowed concession for migrant shearers

The role of migrant labour in agriculture has been under the spotlight but there is relief in the sheep sector that special arrangements have been made to allow Australian and New Zealand sheep shearers to ply their trade in the UK this summer.

A Home Office concession will allow this “very specific group of non-visa nationals” to travel to the UK for a maximum stint of three months after which they will be required to leave.

While the window for such workers opens on April 1 it is expected that the bulk will arrive later in the summer – but with the last start date being June 30, the latest expiry of leave under the arrangement will be September 30.

The National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC), which was instrumental in negotiating the deal, said that it was delighted that shearers would be allowed to enter the UK this year, for a time-limited window, to provide a vital source of highly skilled and experienced staff for shearing contractors removing the wool of millions of sheep this summer.

Speaking yesterday, Jill Hewitt technical consultant at the NAAC, said: “We have continued to work with the Home Office and are pleased that UK shearing contractors can continue to access this source of expertise from across the world.

“We don’t have sufficient UK shearers to tackle the mammoth task of shearing the UK flock and it is vital for animal welfare that fleeces are removed to protect sheep from overheating and flystrike.”

She said that although the scheme was a rollover of a concession which had been used since 2011, there had been a “nervous wait” while the arrangements were reviewed this year. Rumours circulating in both Australia and New Zealand that the Brexit talks and focus on migration might undermine the arrangement had added to the concerns.

However she added that shearers arriving in the UK would need to satisfy immigration officers that they were here for a temporary period, to be employed as a sheep shearer:

“The NAAC is supplying its members with the necessary paperwork to hopefully smooth the entry process,” said Hewitt.

Shearers will be allowed into the country for three months.