Committee publication · Correspondence · 25 March 2026
Correspondence to and from the Home Office, relating to withdrawal of the visa concession for temporary employment as sheep shearers, dated 2 March and 13 March 2026
From: Welsh Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Farming in Wales in 2025: Challenges and Opportunities
Summary
The Welsh Affairs Committee Chair writes to the Home Office asking for assessments of the visa concession withdrawal for temporary sheep shearers ahead of the 2026 season. The Minister responds that the concession will close permanently on 30 June 2026 after a final one-year extension, citing animal welfare concerns and giving the sector two years to develop domestic capacity. The concession will not be renewed after 2027.
Key findings
- Home Office has operated the sheep shearing visa concession for 14 years; the 2025 extension was approved as time-limited, closing after the 2025 season.
- Minister renewed the concession on an exceptional basis for one final year (to 30 June 2026) in recognition of animal welfare risks if sheep are not shorn during spring window.
- Concession will not be renewed in 2027; sector has two years to transition to new arrangements and move away from relying on overseas shearers.
- Shearing is an RQF 3 level occupation and does not meet criteria in Immigration White Paper requiring occupations be RQF 6 or listed on Temporary Shortage List.
- Committee seeks UK Government assessments of sheep shearers required for 2026 season, UK-based skilled availability, Home Office-DEFRA-Welsh Government discussions, and Wales-specific impact assessment.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Ruth Jones MP, Mike Tapp MP, Welsh Affairs Committee, Home Office, DEFRA, Welsh Government, Migration Advisory Committee
Notable line
“The concession will not be renewed in 2027 and will close for a final time on 30 June”
Key Quotes
“… the UK Government needs to take specific account of the unique cultural, environmental and economic circumstances of farming in Wales when making future policy decisions which have direct implications for the agricultural sector in Wales”
“What is the UK Government's assessment of (a) the number of sheep shearers required for the 2026 shearing season across the UK; and (b) the demand for sheep shearers from agricultural businesses based in Wales?”
“In light of this, I have decided to renew the concession on an exceptional basis for one final year, providing the industry with two years to transition to new arrangements and move away from using overseas shearers.”
“The UK has been an outlier offering such a generous arrangement for such a long period of time – neither Australia nor New Zealand offer visa-free routes for sheep shearers.”
“The sector cannot continue to rely indefinitely on a concession to the Immigration Rules, and alternative workforce arrangements would need to be found if they are unable to train enough domestic shearers to fill the skills gap.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗