OVERSEAS sheep shearers have been granted non-visa access to the United Kingdom in 2025 in a special concession from the Minister for Migration and Citizenship.

The UK’s National Association of Agricultural Contractors has announced that after months of lobbying, international sheep shearers have a special concession to be able to enter the UK in 2025.

The NAAC said this would allow access to the vital source of professional and experienced staff to assist UK contractors during the shearing season.

The Minister for Migration and Citizenship agreed to the concession for sheep shearers for a period of one year to cover this shearing season (1 April – 30 June) and a ministerial authorisation came into force on 10 April 2025, the NACC said.

Since 2011, the NAAC has worked closely with the Home Office to successfully manage a special concession for highly skilled, overseas shearers to come to the UK to assist in shearing the UK flock.

The scheme has meant that the UK has been able to welcome non-visa nationals from overseas (particularly New Zealand and Australia) to come for a short, limited period to ensure that sheep are shorn on time, thus protecting their welfare, the NAAC said.

NAAC chief executive Jill Hewitt said sheep shearing is a skilled and physical profession and while the UK has an excellent resource of domestic shearers, NAAC contractors still rely on an input of overseas shearers to carry out an estimated 20 percent of UK shearing.

“This vital scheme is well-managed to ensure that professional overseas shearers can enter the UK, for a limited period, to help get the 15million sheep shorn to high standards of animal welfare,” she said.

Source – NAAC.