Despite what some may expect, it’s not all gripes and bird ‘flu. They get their share of airtime for sure but I listen for those unexpected nuggets that can otherwise go unnoticed but which have an impact on the countryside we all enjoy when we are out on our pub walks.
Take this morning’s program, for example. Apparently sheep shearing could be approaching a crisis. With a global shortage of shearers and 20 million sheep to shear between May and July, we rely on skilled contract shearers coming over from Australia and New Zealand to help. Problem is, a tightening of PAYE regulations means that many may not come this year, leading to concerns of sheep dying from being “eaten alive” out in the fields by blow fly maggots that have hatched from eggs laid in their unshorn fleeces. Not nice.
Highly skilled workers but not especially highly paid … and not a drain on our benefits system either given they stay for just the season. So, if the fears are well-founded, this must surely be bureaucracy at its worst. Let’s hope it’s just the sheep farmers crying wolf!
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Well, the power of the media is something to behold ... to paraphrase this morning's Farming Today, the Home Office has back-peddled and now agreed not to enforce the regulations this year. The real issue was the time needed for compliance which for this year was simply too short. Next year should be no problem.
ReplyDeleteI never thought my blog would carry such weight! ;-)