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Shearing - Source: ONE News -
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Federated Farmers' call to have sheep shearing included in the Commonwealth or Olympic Games has hit headlines around the world.
The farming lobby group raised the idea earlier this week saying the world's top shearers were "athletes who take it to another level".
Now Jeanette Maxwell, Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre chairperson, says she has been inundated with calls from international media interested in the idea.
The story has been covered on all the main Australian news websites, made headlines in the United Kingdom and India and was featured on popular American blog site Huffington Post.
An article on United Arab Emirates news website Gulfnews described it as "shear madness" and said the International Olympic Committee would probably dismiss it as a "baaaaaaaaad" idea.
"Yesterday it was Australian media but today it has been media from the UK," Maxwell said. "Give it another day or so and maybe the Letterman Show will start calling."
While some of the articles are "dripping with sarcasm", Maxwell believes the publicity will help get the message out to people overseas that sheep do not die for their wool.
"Unbelievable as it may sound to Kiwi ears, some people overseas believe wool is like fur."
Federated Farmers' call comes just weeks out from the World Shearing Championships, due to be held in Masterton in March.
Other counties that compete in sheep shearing include China, Australia, India, Iran, Sudan, New Zealand, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
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