British Wool launches Young Farmers’ Club shearing training offer for another year

British Wool and the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) are collaborating again this year to offer subsidised shearing training to Young Farmers’ Club (YFC) members.

For the seventh year in a row, YFC members affiliated to the NFYFC can take advantage of a 50% discount on British Wool Shearing Courses. The discounted offer applies to courses in machine and blade shearing.

British Wool’s two-day courses are held in all regions of the UK and cover the essentials of shearing. Attendees receive hands-onpractical tuition in small groups, typically with a ratio of one instructor to four participants. This allows attendees to develop their technique as well as receiving guidance on animal welfare, the use of shearing equipment and staying safe in the shearing shed.

The discount applies to courses for absolute beginners, intermediate, and advanced level shearers. British Wool and the NFYFC actively encourage Young Farmers to improve their technique by attending further training. The discounted price of £110 plus VAT is exclusively available to YFC members who register before the 31^st of March 2025.

British Wool’s courses are also available to non-members at £220 plus VAT, which still represents excellent value for small group tuition.

NFYFC Chair of Council Drew Bailey said: “More than 700 YFC members have benefited from The British Wool discount over the last seven years and developed their sheep shearing and wool handling skills. NFYFC is proud to be working with British Wool and helping to improve shearing standards. An important element of our national Sheep Shearing competition is that all competitors must have at least a Blue Seal qualification. YFC members are now able to continue improving their skills as this British Wool offer covers all shearing training, regardless of their experience in the industry.”

Sam Jones, from Ruthin YFC, won NFYFC’s Sheep Shearing competition in 2025 and advised others to take advantage of the discounted courses on offer. Sam said: “You must keep going on the courses as you’ll keep on improving.There’s always room for improvement. I try to do a course every year and you can take advantage of the savings through YFC as well. Do a few courses, keep travelling and shear as many sheep as you can. Don’t give up and keep trying. Never hold yourself back.”

More news like this can be found in The Country Smallholder magazine. Subscribe here.

For FREE updates from the world of smallholding, sign up for The Country Smallholder newsletter here.