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Shortage of shearers cuts deep

Posted on December 4, 2009, 9:09am and updated on December 4, 2009 at 4:06 pm

Shearing
Many sheep producers across the district have struggled to find shearers this season.

Farmers and contractors say tracking down workers involves plenty of phone calls, even if like Hatherleigh farmer Con Fitzgerald, you have two fit and able sons on the boards.

Mr Fitzgerald said he usually gets a bloke down from the West Coast, but he’s gone travelling, so his son James has organised filling the vacancies.

James and his brother Sam, who work in sheds across the district during shearing season and works on the family property year round, said three decent local shearers pulled out for good at the end of last year, leaving a hole in the industry.

“In a region where it’s hard to find shearers three people is a big deal,” Sam said.

“It’s not like there are three young ones coming up to replace them.”

The work is always there, but worker availability is not.

Mr Fitzgerald was fortunate to be running with four stands to strip his crossbred lambs on Tuesday.

Sam said he’s heard a couple of local places with four-stand sheds had been running with only two shearers due to lack of numbers.

“We had two Kiwis shearing when we did the ewes about a month ago, but they had to go home, so I don’t know who we’d have if we didn’t pick up Rick (Grimes) and Wayne (Jones),” he said.

His father agreed, saying the South East was always “reasonably short”, but he also said more New Zealanders were coming across the Tasman.

Mr Fitzgerald said the wool industry was not looking too flash.

He said the sale of crossbred wool paid for labour, but there wasn’t much left over.

“Merino pays alright, but we don’t run them,” he said.

“The cost of production — wages, council rates — keeps going up, but the crossbred wool price has barely changed for six or seven years.

“I daresay they just don’t need (wool) because there’s more demand for cotton and synthetic.”

However, he added the meat industry was great price-wise, with lamb selling at $4 a kilogram and old ewes matching the price of prime beef, due to export demand from the Middle East.

  • Picture: Hatherleigh shearer Sam Fitzgerald cleans his cutters after working through the crossbred lambs on his parents’ property this week, while his son Ollie keeps him company.

ELLIE TURNER

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