Hotline to tackle shearer shortage

21 May 2001



Shear hell as Aussies stay away

By FWi staff

A TELEPHONE hot-line aims to stave off a potential animal welfare disaster caused by a shortage of sheep shearers in the wake of foot-and-mouth.

An annual influx of shearers coming to Britain from Australia and New Zealand has failed to materialise because of the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

Many of the farmworkers fear they will be unable to find work when they return home because of fears that they could spread the disease Down Under.

A special licensing system set up in Britain to make sure sheep are shorn without spreading the virus has also contributed to the shearing shortage.

Issued on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, the licences mean contract shearers must obtain permission before working in foot-and-mouth areas.

The National Farmers Union has warned that warm weather will cause major animal welfare problems unless licensing is speeded up.

The Meat and Livestock Commission has now set up a dedicated phone line to take applications which were not due to be processed for another 10 days.

Meanwhile, 40 sheep-shearers in south-west England told the Ministry of Agriculture they would start shearing even if the licences had not been issued.

The shearers said they would start shearing on Monday (21 May). MAFF had earlier announced that no licences would be available before 1 June.

Shearers representative Alan Marshall told Devon MAFF officials that sheep could not wait until 1 June, and the work would go ahead anyway.

Full precautions would be taken to avoid spreading foot-and-mouth disease, and the required records would be kept, he claimed.

Mr Marshall delivered his statement to MAFF in a stakeholders meeting in front of other farming representatives, including the National Farmers Union.

He reportedly told MAFF officials that if they intended to prosecute any of the shearers for starting without a licence, they could start with him.

Mr Marshall said that without the usual influx of shearers from New Zealand this year every opportunity must be taken by home-bred shearers.

“If we wait until 1 June, lowland sheep could be suffering from heat stress in the meantime, and anyway it might be raining by then.”

• The MLC licensing unit line is 01908 844790
• MAFF advice for farmers on new licensing arrangements
• Updated summary of MAFF licensing rules
• Speed up shearer scheme, urges NFU, FWi, 18 May, 2001
• Meat and Livestock Commission
• Ministry of Agriculture
• National Farmers Union
  

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