A POTENTIAL shearer shortage has been largely offset by a significantly reduced national sheep flock, but there is a need to plan ahead, industry insiders say.
Shearing Contractors Association of Australia secretary Jason Letchford said shearer numbers had reduced across Australia but a smaller flock had helped prevent a potential crisis.
He said plans needed to be put in place for when sheep numbers began to rebuild.
"When we see more consistent rainfall and the lambing rates go up, there will be an increase in stocking levels - the challenge is, what happens?" he said.
"For every million the sheep flock goes up, we need 40 shearers and 40 auxiliary staff, such as shed hands."
Last year the New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association raised its pay rates by 25 per cent, sparking concerns about the ability to find shearers in Australia.
Mr Letchford said the industry might need to learn from the horticulture or meat processing sectors in attracting skilled and semi-skilled labour from other nations.
"When numbers do rebound, we need to have processes in place for skilled and semi-skilled workers," he said.
The SCAA held its annual general meeting last month, with Mr Letchford saying shearer supply was a key issue.
He said the association was planning to host a summit, inviting the National Farmers' Federation, state farming bodies, as we as the NZSCA. He said the NZ association would need to be involved because of the long history of NZ-trained shearers moving to Australia.
For every million the sheep flock goes up, we need 40 shearers and 40 auxiliary staff, such as shed hands.
- JASON LETCHFORD
"We need to put our thinking caps on for longer term solutions," he said.
"It really needs a trans-Tasman approach, as a concerted effort. Both sides realise the benefits of working on this together as we have done for issues such as drugs or alcohol in sheds."
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Shearing contractor Katrina Dyer, Lameroo, agreed plans should be in place before flock numbers began to increase.
She said it was getting increasingly difficult to source shearers, with an old supply of "the farmers' son looking for extra income" becoming fewer, while until this year, sheep numbers had been climbing.
"This year was a bit different as people cleared out older stock to focus on younger ones," she said.
Ms Dyer said there was good work being done in training new shearers but questioned if enough was being done to retain them.
"We need more attention paid to facilities for shearers," she said.
"People who are on the ball and tidied sheds up to make them safer, with toilet and wash facilities, will find it easier. Ones that keep their head in the sand are not going to find staff.
"People also need to accept having a learner in the shed because you don't get shearers without learners."
Ms Dyer said there might also be danger in the reduced number of sheep as shearers looked at other job options to fill a widening gap in work.
"They might find other work in the meantime and not come back (to shearing)," she said.
Woolclasser Doug Milhouse, Mount Pleasant, said the shearing "busy" season had finished about a month earlier than usual this year.
"People might be wondering if they should stay in or get out altogether," he said.
He said there was also opportunities in the good returns to be found in the sheep and wool industries.
The shearers coming from NZ are coming for a lot shorter periods, so instead of three or four months, they're coming for six or eight weeks, tops.
- GLENN HAYNES
"Now is the time to train, when the money is about," he said. "When there is no money, people won't want to pay for training."
Shearing and wool handling trainer Glenn Haynes, Naracoorte, said there were "fantastic" numbers coming through the shearing and woolclassing schools held by tafeSA but he said retention rates remained low.
"The ones that stay, that's probably 30 per cent Australia-wide, but there are some absolute rippers among them," he said.
He said the buoyancy of the wool market meant there were jobs available, despite the short-term hit.
"In some areas, the low sheep numbers are almost a bonus as the areas that have the most numbers down are the ones that probably struggled to get shearers, like those pastoral areas," he said. "For places like the South East or Eyre Peninsula, where they've had good seasons, there will be jobs."
Mr Haynes says the NZ pay rise has had a big impact, which would only get bigger in the next 12 to 18 months.
"The shearers coming from NZ are coming for a lot shorter periods, so instead of three or four months, they're coming for six or eight weeks, tops," he said.
"Instead of going up north for those big runs of three months, they'll be sticking to the 'metro' areas, like Naracoorte."
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