March 2007
NAAC persuades Work Permits UK to put new PAYE rules on hold
With the shearing season looming, strong representation by NAAC to Work Permits UK and to the Home Office has succeeded in persuading them to change their minds — at least for this year — over insisting that sheep shearing contractors must be PAYE-registered or else their applications to bring in New Zealand and Australian shearers would be refused.
The NAAC joined forces with the National Sheep Association to do battle with the proposed change to the work permit rules. NAAC Member Rob Morris explained the dilemma clearly on BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today programme on March 8. He said the demand for shearers was seasonal and contractors did not employ any staff for the rest of the year. They were not, therefore, registered for PAYE. Shearers from Australia and New Zealand had previously come in on a self-employed basis, either with a work permit or with a working-holiday visa. Unlike other immigrants, shearers were professional specialists capable of shearing up to 400 sheep a day. This sets them apart other immigrants and should qualify them for exemption.
It’s been a year of successes for the NAAC, said Jim Farquharson in his final speech as NAAC Chairman to the Annual Meeting of the Association at CenterParcs in Suffolk. And the future looks bright as well with many new young members joining the Association.
“There are currently many changes in the various sectors but contractors are able to respond well to the challenges. Farming is fortunate in that it now has the option to use each acre of land to produce food for people, feed for animals or crops for energy. Not every industry has such flexibility of resource.”