SRS Genetics chairman, Wellington's Norm Smith says plain-bodied, moderate-sized Soft Rolling Skins (SRS) sheep offer not only a solution to the shearing crisis, but financial benefits for the grower.

A national shearer shortage is creating headaches across the country as growers struggle to find shearers and shed staff to shear a clip worth $3.2 billion to the economy.

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But Mr Smith, an SRS Merino stud breeder and sheep classer, said sheep with a plainer body, a moderate frame and docility offered a genetic solution to the issue, because they were easy to shear and manage.

"Shearing is the hardest manual job left in Australia and I take my hat off to any shearer - it's not something on young people's radar anymore," he said.

"As an industry we are slow to move even though there has been a lot of shearer training - the facilities and sheep type should have changed by now and we shouldn't be talking about this in 2022."

Mr Smith said SRS sheep were more profitable as it cut an increased amount of high-quality wool, was easy care and highly fertile.

Shearing contractor Rod Mackander said the financial and physical benefits accrued for shearers in SRS sheds: "Shearers in my crew will make from $700-$1000 per day shearing SRS sheep. The result is they want to keep coming back."

Dubbo-based shearing contractor and shearer Steve Mudford said the wool industry needed to focus on improving shed conditions and facilities, breeding plain bodied sheep with moderate mature body weights of 60-70kg, an increase in the Federal Pastoral Award and a flexibility in shearing dates to attract and retain skilled staff.

"Growers need to straighten their sheep (breed plain bodied) so they are good shearing but ensure mature body weights are not extreme - anything over 60kg gets hard to handle. Rams and some crossbred ewes can be over 100kg, predisposing shearers to injury," he said.

He said his young shearers struggle to shear sheep over 80kg, and he feared it could see them questioning their career path.

"Farmers used to say we don't breed sheep for the shearers but these days they need to start breeding them for the shearers if they want them shorn."