SHEARING contractors and woolgrowers hope a critical shortage of shearers and wool handlers in Western Australia can be averted by governments declaring wool an essential industry.
Border closures, travel restrictions and 14-day isolation periods introduced by State and Federal governments to try to contain COVID-19 will collectively potentially shut down the WA shearing industry at a critical time unless the wool industry is declared essential, said Darren Spencer, WA Shearing Industry Association president and Lake Grace shearing contractor.
"I would estimate 25 per cent of shearers and wool handlers in WA are from New Zealand - some are resident here, but a lot come across for the busy periods," Mr Spencer said.
"A lot of the wool handlers are partners of shearers so if one can't come, they both won't come.
"The problem is, even if they are allowed in, they won't want to sit around for 14 days in isolation - they're nearly all (employed as) casuals, if they don't work there's no money.
"It's not just New Zealanders, other teams have Welsh or Scottish shearers on them - it basically depends on the region (in WA) and the contractor.
"On our teams here (Lake Grace area) we've got New Zealanders and South Australians and they probably can't get back home now (without an isolation period).
"For contractors like us that run multiple teams, what do you do with shearers and wool handlers who have to go through an isolation period - coup them all up together at a shearing camp because they've got nowhere else to go?
"They'd be better off working, at least they'd be able to maintain social distancing in a shearing shed."
On behalf of the industry, WoolProducers Australia chief executive officer Jo Hall wrote to State premiers, Federal Agricultural Minister David Littleproud and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack on Monday setting out a case for the wool industry to be declared essential so it could be exempt from some of the movement restrictions.
Mr Spencer said WA's wool industry faced "significant impact" from a shortage of shearers and wool handlers unless the industry was declared essential.
"I don't know about the Eastern States, but in WA we have ewes that are getting close to lambing and need to be shorn," Mr Spencer said.
"It's an animal welfare issue."
Unless pregnant ewes are shorn, the lambing mortality rate in WA is likely to climb in a year where the sheep industry is trying to recover from drought and difficult seasons, Mr Spencer said.
"We've got full wool sheep that need to be shorn otherwise, with moisture around, they will get flyblown," he said.
"Woolgrowers also need to get wethers shorn if they want to catch the last (live sheep export) boat to the Middle East before the northern (hemisphere) summer."
At this stage, the Federal government is scheduled to make a policy decision this month on whether live exports will be shut down for June, July and August - the northern hemisphere summer - again like last year.
Current live export regulations require sheep to have wool no more than 25 millimetres long and to be 10 or more days off shears.
Flyblown sheep are not permitted to be loaded for export.
In her letter to premiers and Federal politicians on Monday, Ms Hall outlined five arguments for the wool industry to be declared essential like other sections of agriculture producing food.
"Whilst understanding that the response to COVID-19 is ensuring that the food supply chain is continued, we are seeking a firm commitment that containment and response arrangements will not hinder the transaction of wool within Australia, including the movement of product between State jurisdictions," she wrote.
"The wool industry must be able to continue to trade for a number of reasons."
These reasons included:
The wool industry is a significant industry, generating $3.82 billion in exports and employing about 200,000 people.
The industry needs to be able to pay proceeds to woolgrowers from weekly sale of $50 million of wool.
Many woolgrowers have been dealing with drought and, in some cases, bushfires which has reduced incomes, putting their financial position under severe stress.
The wool industry underpins many regional economies across the country.
There are "potential catastrophic animal welfare impacts" if sheep are not shorn.
Ms Hall also pointed out the wool industry and production of lamb for food "are inextricably linked".
She said the request for the wool industry to be declared essential was supported by WoolProducers Australia, Sheep Producers Australia, National Council of Wool Selling Brokers of Australia, Australian Council of Wool Exporters and Processors, Australian Wool Handlers, Wool Industries Australia, Australian Wool Testing Authority and the Australian Wool Exchange.