Like many other sectors of the industry, Covid-19 has changed the face of shearing this past year, with foreign contractors choosing to remain in their home countries as a result of the virus.

However, with the season beginning with hoggs from now on and more adult sheep from the end of this month, allied to the easing of restrictions within the UK, flockmasters up and down the country are looking to welcome an abundance of contractors eager to get on with clipping.

“Overseas shearers are allowed to travel into the UK for this shearing season, however there is Covid-19 guidance along with some travel restrictions in place – so we urge contractors to be vigilant in regards to current restrictions,” stated Gareth Jones, head of producer marketing at British Wool.

“Last year, the UK shearing community and sheep farmers worked together in a national effort to get the UK flock shorn and protect animal welfare, and it will be no different this coming season.”

With the season kicking off at the end of this month, the Fisher brothers – David, Allan and Neil – from Fair a Far, Inverness, are confident that this season will be one of the busiest in their calendar to date.

“Like last year, we are prepared to undertake our shearing contracting following the current government rules and restrictions.

"My brothers and I have continued to isolate in preparation for travelling between farms in order to ensure we don’t pose as a risk of being a carrier to the virus and to protect our own family.

“However, sheep still need shorn, so we will do our best to minimise the amount of people present during the actual shearing process,” commented Neil Fisher.

“In terms of the upcoming season, it will be our busiest to date, with our customer base almost doubling from 2019 to 2020. This is mainly due to us undertaking small flocks that the big contractors won’t cover and continuing to take on larger flocks ourselves, which put’s our skills to the test!” he added.

With shearers geared up for what looks to be a prosperous season ahead of them, wool prices are also looking up for producers across the country.

“Stock overhang has been cleared and prices are recovering. As a result of British Wool’s proactive actions over the last 12 months, the stock overhang from 2019 has been successfully cleared and we’ll close the 2020 clip year with a normal stock position,” pointed out Gareth.

“Since February, auction prices have also started to recover and this is below where we need it to be, however, we are optimistic that we will see a further price recovery through the course of the next year.

"The 2021 Producer Information and Wool Values Booklet details producer payments will be released on May 14 on our website,” he added.

Along with the promise of price recovery, British Wool also announced additional changes to its producer haulage charges for the 2021 season.

In order to further support their producers, the organisation has announced the abolishment of it’s onward carriage fees at all approved collection sites from this season.

Chief executive officer, Andrew Hogley, stated: “Throughout the pandemic, British Wool’s depots and collection sites remain open in a Covid-19 secure manner and we continue to accept all types of wool from all producers – a principal which lies at the core of our cooperative ethos.

“Abolishing the onward carriage fees for approved collection site demonstrates our commitment at British Wool in delivering a high level of service and also enhancing our service offer to producers.A small number of producers chose to hold on to their wool last year and this meant we handled less wool, which had a negative impact on our operating cost per kg. The more wool we handle the more cost effective our operations become, which in turn allows us to return more value to all producers.

“The restructuring programme announced earlier in the year is nearly complete – this will have no negative impact on the service we offer producers and we have opened a number of new collection sites this season.”

Looking to the future of the industry, the training and development of the next generation of shearers and wool handlers is crucial to ensure that the farmers and contractors uphold the highest standards of animal welfare.

With this in mind, British Wool has launched a new and exclusive competition for one young farmer member from England, Scotland and Wales YFC Federations to secure a place on the organisation’s new training and development programme.

This newly-launched programme will witness the successful YFC members receive one year’s free access to British Wool training courses, which includes two machine shearing courses, gear training and wool handling.

“The project was created to help shearers starting out, to make shearing as easy as possible and help the individual to understand the time and dedication it takes to reach a level of competence.

"This includes the management of the animal and the equipment used and one aspect of the programme will be a gear course that will help the shearer to understand and hopefully use the knowledge to progress,” commented shearing manager at British Wool, Richard Schofield.

“We will also look at the wool and how best to present this, which will include a grading depot visit to learn more about the wool process. British Wool will be working closely with all successful applicants over the coming 14 months – from their first sheep shorn, their first course, the equipment they use, to shearing on farm or with a contractor.”

As well as the new programme, for a third year, British Wool has teamed up alongside the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) to offer funding for any SAYFC member to take part in a shearing course that is organised and undertaken by British Wool trainers and instructors ­– in a bid to encourage the younger generation to get involved with an age old tradition.

The beginner shearing course enables YFC members to work towards a Blue Seal award, as well as bronze, silver or gold for those who may be more experienced.

The course will take place over two days, covering all the essential aspects of achieving a successful shearing season – including health and safety, the use of shearing equipment and hands-on shearing practice to develop the individual’s technique.

As well as this, British Wool is extending its YFC training offer to those who wish to participate in its wool handling course. This one-day course will be delivered by a successful competitive wool handler at a discounted price for YFC members.

Richard added: “We are once again delighted to be working with Young Farmers’ Clubs in supporting the training and development of the next generation of shearers. Covid-19 restrictions permitting, we look forward to welcoming young farmers onto our courses again this year.”

For further information about the British Wool courses on offer and prices, please contact British Wool on: 01294 229000 or email shearing@britishwool.org.uk