Shearer shortage ‘must not put Covid-19 protection on hold’

Sheep keepers have been warned that it will not be “business as usual” this year when it comes to shearing time.

But while a likely shortage of shearers from Australia and New Zealand could make the national wool clip slower and more difficult, the industry was advised to continue to be extra vigilant during the Covid-19 crisis, whilst ensuring that animal welfare was protected through the shearing season.

The British Wool Marketing Board’s Gareth Jones said that a new industry checklist, produced to help ensure that shearers, wool handlers and farmers in the UK worked in partnership had been drawn up by all bodies involved in harvesting wool.

He said the aim was to keep everyone operating at safe distances on-farm by ensuring that practical measures were put in place to allow shearing to continue.

Jill Hewitt, of the National Association of Agricultural Contractors, added: “It will inevitably be a slower, more difficult shearing season this year but risks must not be taken, and co-operation, collaboration and patience will be vital. We are likely to have a shortage of shearers and careful planning will be essential to make certain that, when shearers are onfarm, the process of handling sheep and shearing is efficient and that everyone works together to make the process run as smoothly as possible.”

Hewitt said that the numbers of overseas shearers was expected to be very low and the industry was asking all UK shearers to get involved in the national effort to get the UK flock shorn and protect animal welfare: