Shear them to Save them

Our story

In one generation, Balkan countries have lost their sheep shearers and shearing skills. We need to help their farmers to learn how to shear again and save some of our world's original sheep breeds. 

We're a community of skilled UK shearers called Hand2Shear. We're crowdfunding for a mobile shearing trailer which will help us to reach sheep in remote areas that have no shearing infrastructure or electricity.

Sheep are key to the Balkan economy and part of their local identity. But they could be lost without consistent welfare measures like shearing. 

On top of this, there is a worldwide shortage of shearers which puts sheep welfare at risk. This has resulted in a scramble over shearers, with Balkan farmers missing out as European farmers pay three times more for shearers. 

Shearing in Balkan countries is traditionally done in a yard or shed.

How you can help

We started Hand2Shear to bridge the shearing gap in Balkan countries. With a four-person trailer, our vision is to reach more small flock farmers in the Balkans, prioritise rare sheep breeds – and during the shearing season, shear up to 50k sheep every three months. 

It’s about creating a healthier, happier world for our ecologically diverse sheep, and preserving Balkan rare breeds for future generations. Together we can make it happen.

Balkan Farmers say, “We need to rely on British shearers to help us. There just aren't enough here.”

About the mobile sheep-shearing trailer

Four-person shearing trailers are not readily available to buy – they have to be made. After a long search, we have now signed a contract with a Devon company who has been custom-building sheep shearing trailers for decades - which include the latest workplace safety and animal welfare features.

As well as shearing Balkan sheep, the trailer will be used to educate and train local farmers to shear their sheep. We also hope the trailer will attract more young people to a sheep shearing career.

Hand2Shear want to reach and shear more Balkan sheep on a trailer, ensuring sheep are shorn on time and to high animal welfare standards.

What we're crowdfunding for

Our aim is to have a trailer built with shearing equipment installed, and to commence shearing in the Balkan countries by late spring 2025. Your support will enable us to achieve this goal to custom-make a 4-stand mobile shearing trailer and purchase requisite shearing tools, enabling a safer working environment for sheep and shearers.

A note about rewards

We're really pleased to be able to offer different kinds of rewards from our supporters, as well as some small tokens of our heartfelt thanks to everyone who makes a contribution. 

Please note that the experience-based rewards (farm tour, day in the life of a shearer, etc) will be offered in the Devon area, except for the Croatian farm stay. We will happily post the other items to supporters in the UK and offer an international postage option for cards, calendars, etc. 

We're planning to have the rewards ready to go as soon as we close the campaign on 26 April 2025 - so you can use them in the coming summer months.

More about us

Hand2Shear are professionally trained in the Bowen Shearing Method, using electric shears to take the fleece off a sheep in one piece – in 1-2 minutes – compared to Balkan farmers who clip pieces of fleece with a scissors (taking around a half hour). 

We're committed to sustainable farming practices that prioritise the welfare of sheep and their environment. Our vision is to support Balkan farmers to connect, educate and empower the next generation to setup safe and modern infrastructure for sheep and shearers, and to improve their shearing technique. We want young people to walk off the trailer’s training stand and start to put their hand to shearing sheep. 

Over the last six years, close to 500 Balkan farmers have been learning how to shear and sharing this knowledge and skill. We have also offered shearing demonstrations and education events to local communities and schools, and we hope to do much more of this in the future.

Our trade supports one of the most sustainable fibres available - wool. It’s biodegradable, renewable and has a lower environmental impact than synthetic fibres. Each year, sheep grow a new fleece, making wool a naturally replenishing resource. 

"The Balkan countries are beautiful - I love their sheep and their baaa greetings. No two sheep are the same - they all have their own personality."

Thanks

We wish to thank our small team of volunteers for contributing time, skills and enthusiasm to our campaign. Thanks to all our shearers, supporters, to those who have pledged, and those who have offered fabulous rewards.

Special thanks to @Ads.Visions for creating our campaign video and capturing the essence of what we do. Please follow us @Hand2Shear