A Dartmoor farmer with a world record for shearing who's just back from the Falklands has his sights trained firmly on the Royal Bath & West Show.

A long-established favourite on the competitive shearing circuit, this year the Royal Bath & West Show hosts an abundance of professional shearing talent across the classes - including Jon Roberts from Robertsacre Farm on Dartmoor.

Mr Roberts has recently returned from shearing on the Falkland Islands across several farms with numbers in excess of 50,000 sheep.

He and his shearing partner Martin Howlett hold the two-stand, eight-hour strong wool ewe world record.

The pair sheared a massive 1,075 ewes, beating the previous record of 1,069.

“I was inspired to take on a record after seeing Matt Smith smash the nine-hour strong wool world record in 2016,” explained Mr Roberts.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I wanted to see how far I could push my body and my mind. And I’m a better shearer for it, my pattern and style have definitely improved as a result.”

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Mr Roberts shears around 20,000 sheep a year for UK clients and, alongside his wife Sophie and two young children Isla and Sky, run a regenerative farming enterprise on Dartmoor.

The family run a flock of Perendale ewes and a small suckler herd on a rotational grazing system. The farm is developing a crossbred Merino ewe to enhance wool quality and add value to the product, while lambs and cattle fattened for meat are sold locally in meat boxes with provenance and quality at the heart of the brand.

“As a business we’re interested in delivering high quality product, both in terms of wool and meat, that adds margin and is sold locally to customers with whom we can develop a relationship. We like to know where our produce is going, and the people it is going to. That’s important to us.”

Mr Roberts is looking forward to a great couple of days of competition at the show. “I’ve been competing at the Royal Bath & West Show since 2008, and I love going out there trying to beat everyone,” he says.

“While we’re all trying to beat each other, once the handpiece is put down, we’re mates, and I find it important mentally to spend social time with other shearers who are doing the hard graft of day-to-day shearing - it’s a community."

Competitive shearing takes place on June 2-3, with classes from Juniors to Blade Novice, to the prestigious Open and the English National.

Cash prizes of up to £275 are on offer for placed competitors, and there’s still time to get involved as entries close on May 23 at 12pm.

“While we’re all trying to beat each other, once the handpiece is put down, we’re mates, and I find it important mentally to spend social time with other shearers who are doing the hard graft of day-to-day shearing - it’s a community,” Mr Roberts said.