Government rejects renewed calls to save sheep shearer visas

The government has rejected fresh calls to reverse its decision to end the temporary visa route for overseas sheep shearers, amid warnings the move could leave farmers struggling to shear flocks and increasing animal welfare risks.

Conservative MP Robbie Moore and Reform MS Laura Anne Jones have both criticised the closure of the long-running concession, which allowed up to 75 highly skilled shearers, mainly from Australia and New Zealand, to travel to the UK each spring before returning home.

The Home Office has said the sector should now transition to recruiting and training UK workers.

See also: Shearer visa crisis leaves Defra official blindsided

Mr Moore said the government had only agreed to extend the scheme for one final year after sustained lobbying by the sheep sector and Conservative MPs.

“When this year’s visas expire, that’s it. The government has closed the door,” he said.

“The Home Office says the livestock sector must transition fully to domestic labour, but expecting the industry to magically replace this specialised global workforce overnight while ignoring the severe risks of flystrike, heat stress and animal welfare is reckless.

“Farms don’t need arbitrary bureaucratic deadlines; they need practical support.”

Reform UK’s shadow minister for food, farming and rural affairs, Laura Anne Jones MS, also criticised the decision.

She said: “Labour has turned its back on farming and traditional Britain. We are a nation built on wool, yet this government has decided there is no room for just 75 highly skilled seasonal sheep shearers who come here, do an essential job and then return home.”

Ms Jones added: “There is no shortage of people willing to learn. There is a shortage of people with decades of experience.

“These shearers are vital to British farming, they protect animal welfare and keep the industry moving. Labour doesn’t understand that, and farmers will pay the price once again.”

Farming organisations have warned that replacing experienced international shearers will take years, with delays to shearing increasing the risk of flystrike, heat stress and other animal welfare problems.

Government response

A UK government spokesman said: “Since 2021, over 4,000 people have been trained as sheep shearers as part of the sector’s efforts to develop skills and training.

“This year, only 16 overseas shearers used the concession before it closed for the final time last month. We expect that continued training efforts will allow the domestic labour supply to cover the workforce required for future shearing seasons.”