Sheep shearers on their way to UK

The National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC) has announced that shearers will be allowed to enter the UK this year, in 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.

A special Home Office concession will continue to allow this very specific group of non-visa nationals to travel to the UK, particularly coming from Australia and New Zealand, between 1 April and 30 June. All those entering will only be allowed to stay for a three month maximum period (i.e. the latest expiry of leave would be 30 September), after which they are required to leave.

Commenting, 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 shears 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 over-heating and flystrike.

Shearers arriving in the UK in coming weeks will need to satisfy an immigration officer they are 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.’

Specific entry requirements include:

The applicant is genuinely seeking entry for the purpose of undertaking employment, or providing services, as a sheep shearer, and must supply an appropriate contract of employment and

• The applicant will be able to maintain and accommodate himself without recourse to public funds, and
• The applicant will leave the UK at the end of their stay, and
• The applicant arrives in the UK for this purpose between 1 April and 30 June.