World class sheep shearers come to Cornwall

Top class sheep shearers from all over the world, including closer to home (Launceston), will be competing in the Graig Producers Senior Championship Shearing Competition at the Royal Cornwall Show on Friday, 10th June (Stand number 693).

The Graig Producers Senior Championship acts as a qualifier for the Open Championships. The goal is to qualify for the English circuit and ultimately a place in the England Team. Competition is fierce. The 6-man judging panel comprised of Wool Board qualified experts, will be scrutinising the event, giving or deducting points for speed, quality and smoothness of strokes.

’The shearing competition always attracts a big audience,’ says Gerald Haines from the Cornwall Federation of Young Farmers Clubs and organiser of the competition. ’It is an amazing spectacle and we are privileged to have world-class shearers taking part.’

Graig Producers supported the Open Championship several years ago but this is the first time it has sponsored the Senior Championship. Graig Producers is a collaborative livestock producer group working with several hundred sheep and beef farmers throughout the UK to supply the supermarkets with organic meat.

’These shearers are really dedicated to their sport; it is an incredible skill and stamina is a key ingredient,’ says Bob Kennard, managing director of Graig Producers. ’Our commitment to sheep farmers and the desire to introduce an element of fun meant that Graig Producers and the Senior Championships was a natural partnership.’

Graig Producers acts as a hub in the production wheel, helping to secure a market for its members whilst at the same time achieving cost savings for them through economies of scale. It is also good news for the consumer and retailers. The consumer can be assured that the meat is produced in the UK with high levels of animal welfare and minimal impact on the environment; and the supply chain is simplified for the retailers and their processors by having one point of contact.