18th April 2017

PRESS RELEASE

Shearing workshopsoffer essential technique and equipment advice

A series of five free-to-attend workshops, aimed at imparting practical shearing techniques to a range of audiences, are be held across the UK from the 8th to 12th May.

The workshops, which are being hosted by Allflex,UK distributor of Heinigerclipping and shearing equipment, have been designed to provide practical advice to young shearerssemi-professional contract shearers and farmers.

Each workshop will be delivered by Selwyn Williams, R&D Manager for Heiniger in Australasia, with additional input at two of the workshops from the reigning World Nine Hour Strongwool Ewe shearing champion, Matt Smith.

The workshops will focus on several key elements of shearing including: maintaining the correct posture and the benefits of fitness and nutrition; using the right equipment; correct equipment setup; clipper and blade maintenance; grinding and sharpening combs and cutters for optimum performance and lifespan. Attendees to each event will also be able to seek advice through a Q&A session with Selwyn at the end of each workshop.

“Maintaining correct posture, choosing the right equipment and ensuring it is properly serviced are all vital to safe and efficient shearing,” explains Ian Chapman, Marketing Executive for Allflex. “We’ve therefore teamed up with Heiniger to host a series of workshops which we hope will help new and experienced shearers to make the forthcoming shearing season more efficient, more productive and safer for both shearer and sheep.”

RSVP
Places for each workshop are limited: to reserve your place please contact the relevant venue no later than Friday 28th April 2017.

Details for the individual workshops are as follows:

Venue / Date / Time / Contact
Royal Welsh Showground
Builth Wells, LD2 3SY / Monday
8th May / 6:00 pm / Wales YFC

01982 553 502
Llysfasi College
Sheep Unit, Ruthin, LL15 2LB / Tuesday
9th May / 1:00 pm / Haf Harrison at Llysfasi College

01978 267914
Highway Shearing
Unthank Hall, Skelton, Penrith, CA11 9TG / Wednesday
10th May / 1:00 pm / Highway Shearing

01768 899659
CarrsBillington
Coquet View, Rothbury, Morpeth, NE65 7RZ / Thursday
11th May / 5.30 pm / CarrsBillington, Rothbury

01669620320
G&R Leigh
Nunsfield Farm, Fairfield, Buxton, SK17 7HN / Friday
12th May / 1.00 pm / GR Leigh

01298 22725

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

Selwyn Williams – with over 40 years of expertise and experience, Selwyn Williams has travelled the globe, first as a professional shearer and now as Research and Development Manager for Heiniger in Australasia.

Matt Smith–Matt has travelled the world for 14 years, contract shearing in New Zealand, North America, the UK, Estonia, Latvia and Finland, and has built up an impressive list of competition wins: in June 2016 he broke the Nine Hour Strongwool Ewe shearing record.

Matt lives with his wife Pippa on their 121 hectare farm at Trefanck, in St Clether near Launceston, Cornwall. They run a flock of 1,000 breeding ewes – primarily Romneys and some Romney-Lleyn crosses – on a New Zealand grass based system. Matt continues to shear professionally, working with Cornish contractor, Nick Jasper and Martin Howlett in Wiltshire.

Allflex UK Group Ltd

  • AllflexUK Group Ltd includes the Cox, Ritchey, Allflex Pro and Fearing businesses.
  • The group designs, manufactures and supplies animal identification technology to help livestock producers use animal identification as a valuable management tool.
  • The company also manufactures and supplies Alligator sheep handling systems, and distributes Prattley sheep and cattle handling systems, TruTest electronic weighing equipment and Heiniger clippers and shearers in the UK. The SCR Heatime brand is also part of Allflex (UK) Group.
  • This entire portfolio of livestock care equipment is designed to help farmers maximise the efficiency and productivity of their livestock enterprises.
  • The company has a global network of experts and more than 50 years of experience in animal identification, with manufacturing and technology subsidiaries in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and China. Products incorporate the latest design technologies, materials and manufacturing processes.
  • Distributed in 80 countries, Allflex identification tags are the global best seller.

For more information regarding each shearing workshop, please contact:

Ian Chapman, Marketing Executive, Allflex UK Group Ltd.

Office: 01207 523 167

Email:

Issued by:

Paul Jennings, Client Director, ABC Limited.

Office: 01694 731777

Mobile: 07515 260331

Email:

This news release can be downloaded directly from the ABC Press Centre at