The first Basque Country Sheep Shearing Championship, to be held on 27 September at the Abadiño probaleku, will have a full day's programme.
- It will be a perfect chance to enjoy the day with friends or family, from 08:00 in the morning to 20:00 in the evening
- The programme includes the Basque Country and International championships, machinery demonstrations, children’s workshops, the chance to taste Eusko Label products and the fair of sheep and wool products
- For the first time in history there will be a Basque Country shearing champion
- As well as the Basque Country championship, Euskal Herria, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Germany will contest the competition between nations
- A show of great technique, speed and skill: 60 shearers in all will compete and will shear 700 sheep brought from all over Euskal Herria
- The nine people who will represent Euskal Herria at the world championship in New Zealand in March 2026 will be selected. The first Basque Country Sheep Shearing Championship will be held on 27 September at the Abadiño probaleku, and the Sheep Shearers’ Association of Euskal Herria (EAME) has put together a generous full-day programme. From 08:00 in the morning to 20:00 in the evening it will be a perfect chance to enjoy the day with friends or family for everyone who comes to Abadiño.
A programme has been put together for every taste and every age: the Basque Country and International championships, machinery demonstrations, children’s workshops, the chance to taste Eusko Label products and the fair of sheep and wool products.
For the first time in history we will know who the Basque Country shearing champion is. As well as the Basque Country Championship, the International Championship will also be held in Abadiño. Euskal Herria, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Germany will measure themselves there. Shearers of a high standard. A show of great technique, speed and skill. Sixty shearers in all will compete and will shear 700 sheep from Euskal Herria.
There are two disciplines in which the shearers will compete at the Basque Country and International Championship: machine and blades. In the machine discipline the fleece is removed with an electric machine. In the blades discipline the fleece is shorn with hand blades.
The competitions start in the morning. In the first part of the morning, until midday, the heats of the Basque Country Championship and the International Championship will be held. In the afternoon, from 16:00, come the semi-finals and the finals. At the end of the afternoon we will know the Basque Country champion and the winning team of the International Championship.
The championship organised by the Sheep Shearers’ Association of Euskal Herria (EAME) is supported by Abadiño Town Council, the Provincial Council of Araba, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, Laboral Kutxa, Urkiola Rural Development, Eusko Label, EKFB-Union of Basque Sports Federations, the Basque Government-Euskadi Basque Country and Udalbiltza, the association of Basque town councils. It also has the support of EHNE Bizkaia, EITB, Ea Town Council, Erromantzazu Town Council, Uharte-Arakil Town Council, Veno and Gu ere bai.
Basque Country and International Championship
For the first time in history, 2025 will have a Basque Country shearing champion. The championship will follow the international rules set by the World Council, and between 8 and 10 international judges will assess the shearers’ work. The head judge will be the Scotsman Robbie Hislop.
What is more, the Basque Country Championship will serve as the trial to select those who will take part in the Golden Shears World Championship, to be held from 4 to 7 March 2026 in Masterton, New Zealand.
The team representing Euskal Herria at the world championship will be made up of nine people: two machine shearers, two blade shearers, two wool handlers, the team manager, the judge and the coach.
As well as the Basque Country Championship, the International Championship will also be held in Abadiño. Euskal Herria, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Germany will measure themselves there. It will be a perfect chance to see some of the best shearers from Euskal Herria and the world at close quarters.
From an old trade a competitive side has grown. Broadly, the shearers compete against the clock, to shear as many sheep as possible within a set time. The judges assess the quality of the shearing and speed counts for a lot, but the shearers have to balance it with precision, to look after the sheep and not affect the quality of the wool.
The Euskal Herria team
We represent Euskal Herria at international sheep shearing events and championships. In 2023 the Golden Shears World Council agreed unanimously to give Euskal Herria the chance to compete alongside the other countries, Spain and France among them. It is a historic milestone.
Our team will be made up of shearers from the seven provinces of Euskal Herria. We will be able to take part both in the international circuit and in the world championship held every three years, as Euskal Herria-Basque Country. For us shearers it is an honour to represent our country: to be the showcase of our values, our character and our identity.
The calendar of the Euskal Herria shearers
Basque shearers will also compete on the following dates and at the following venues in 2025 and 2026:
2025
- 12-13 July: Boussac (France). Machine, blades and wool handling.
- 19 July: Martel (France). Machine and blades. Euskal Herria VS France
- 25-26 July: Corwen Shears (Wales). Machine, blades and wool handling.
- 16 August: Speed Shear (Zugarramurdi-Euskal Herria). Machine.
- 31 August: Artzai Eguna (Uharte-Arakil-Euskal Herria). Machine.
- 27 September: Basque Country Championship (Abadiño-Euskal Herria). Machine and blades.
2026
- 4-7 March: Golden Shears World Championship (Masterton-New Zealand). Machine, blades and wool handling.