But that campaign had to start somewhere, which must be the motivating factor behind the New Zealand Federated Farmers, who on Monday proposed making sheep shearing the next Olympic sport.

The “time has come to elevate shearing’s sporting status to the ultimate world stage,” the group said in a statement.

With New Zealand hosting the world shearing championships in March, Federated Farmers Mean and Fiber chairwoman Jeannette Maxwell believes it’s time to strike while the clippers are hot.

“I can testify to the physical effort shearing takes,” Maxwell said. “(Top shearers) are athletes who can take it to another level.”