Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of withdrawing the visa concession for temporary employment as shearers on the welfare of (i) sheep and (ii) alpacas.

We understand the importance of safe and timely shearing to protect animal welfare. The sheep shearing concession had been operating for 14 years and closed after the 2025 shearing season as it is reasonable to expect that over this period a long-term sustainable solution had been found to identify this workforce gap.

The Government expects the sector to meet these needs through the domestic workforce and individuals with existing general work rights, such as dependants or Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders, who are free to take up work as a sheep or alpaca shearer subject to the relevant visa restrictions.