North Canterbury News: April 23, 2020
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Shearing gangs under pressure<br />
By DAVID HILL<br />
Shearing remains an<br />
essential service, but<br />
restrictions are creating<br />
headaches for <strong>North</strong><br />
<strong>Canterbury</strong> shearers as<br />
winter looms.<br />
Shearing contractors<br />
spoken to by the <strong>North</strong><br />
<strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong> say while<br />
they support the lockdown<br />
restrictions, there could be<br />
animal welfare issues ahead<br />
if they get too far behind in<br />
their shearing workload.<br />
Rangiora shearing<br />
contractor Rowan Nesbit<br />
says the level 4lockdown<br />
restrictions mean his<br />
shearers are working in<br />
smaller teams and having to<br />
travel to jobs in separate<br />
vehicles, slowing the work<br />
and adding to the costs.<br />
“To keep the twometre<br />
distances, we can only have<br />
two shearers and two shed<br />
hands on ajob and we have to<br />
ask the farmer to stay away.<br />
“In smaller sheds that<br />
becomes alogistical<br />
challenge.”<br />
Last week, he had ateam<br />
shearing in Lees Valley,<br />
where they shore just 350<br />
sheep aday between two<br />
shearers, instead of the usual<br />
900 sheep aday.<br />
He is looking forward to the<br />
lockdown moving to level<br />
three, which will allow<br />
shearing teams to form a<br />
bubble, share cars, and have<br />
one metre spacings, which<br />
will improve efficiency.<br />
Golden Shears ... Rangiora shearer Hugh de Lacy, left, who works for Rowan Nesbit Shearing. He<br />
placed second in the open speed shear at the Golden Shears last month.<br />
PHOTO: SUPPLIED<br />
“We are doing the jobs that<br />
are urgent and farmers are<br />
trying to hold off until things<br />
settle down, but if we get too<br />
far behind it will become a<br />
nightmare, especially if we<br />
get bad weather.”<br />
Shearing contractor Mike<br />
Morgan operates between<br />
Amberley, Kaikoura and<br />
Hanmer Springs. He says<br />
there is an urgency to get<br />
work completed with winter<br />
and earlyseason lambing<br />
approaching, but there could<br />
be ashortage of shearers if<br />
travel restrictions are not<br />
relaxed.<br />
“From now on it's abusy<br />
time of year for the next three<br />
to four months. In Waiau, we<br />
need to get things done<br />
before it gets cold and the<br />
snow gets to them.<br />
“We usually get shearers<br />
and shed hands from the<br />
<strong>North</strong> Island, but they can't<br />
come at the moment, so we've<br />
got to work with what we've<br />
got.<br />
“We will get through May,<br />
but in June it will become a<br />
problem.”<br />
Mr Morgan says flystrike is<br />
an issue, meaning there is an<br />
urgency to get sheep shorn,<br />
and many Corriedale ewes<br />
are shorn annually in May.<br />
“They've got 12 months of<br />
wool on them, so you can't<br />
really leave them any<br />
longer.”<br />
RURAL LIFE<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>April</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
13<br />
Noel would like to assure all<br />
our existing and new clients<br />
we will be back after<br />
lockdown for any fencing,<br />
stock yards, barns, etc<br />
We hope everyone has stayed<br />
safe and have coped well<br />
during this time of lockdown.<br />
Noel 0274 330 980 or (03) 312-8666<br />
preencontractors@gmail.com<br />
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