British Boer Goat Society
The Constitution of the British Boer Goat
Society Aims 1.
The objectives of the society shall be to act in the interests of owners
and prospective owners and
2.
To promote the Boer Goat Breed to the purchasing public 3.
Members will act with best practice regards to the welfare of their
animals; 4.
To establish, control and maintain an accurate breed register and breed
standard; 5.
To advise and, so far as possible, control the import and export into
and out of the United Kingdom 6.
The society shall consist of such owners and prospective owners without
limitation as to numbers
7.
To follow such objects and directions in connection therewith, as the
membership shall direct, The Rules 1.
The Members of the Boer Goat Society shall abide with the following
rules a) Application for membership shall be made on the official form, to
be obtained from the society and returned to the Secretary b) Members shall pay an annual subscription, which shall become due
on 1st April each year. The amount of the subscription shall be decided
and amended when necessary by the committee and recommended to members
at an AGM c) The annual membership fee will be £15 with no extra charge for
partnerships. d) Those members who fail to pay the membership fee by 1st July in
the current year will be deemed not to be members of the society and
shall not enjoy the benefits of membership. e) Any member who has been a member for not less than one year may,
subject to the consent of the committee, become a life member on payment
of a sum equivalent to ten years membership fees, in lieu of further
annual subscriptions. f) The committee shall have the power to fix a limit to the number
of life members. g) The committee shall have the power to elect as honouree life
members, without payment of any further subscription, any member, of not
less than three years standing who shall in the opinion of the committee
have rendered services to the society, but such election shall not take
effect unless and until confirmed at the AGM next following the date of
such election. h) There shall not be more than three honouree life members at
any-one time. 2.
Requirements for transfer of ownership of Boer Goats a) An application to transfer ownership of a registered goat can
only be done by a paid up member b) Applications must be made on current prescribed transfer forms c) Prescribed forms must be completed and signed by the current
registered owner d) Prescribed forms must be returned to the registration secretary,
with correct payment (£3 per goat), as soon as practical after the
transfer of the goat e) Registered goats must be transferred in to the new owners name
prior to applications to register any progeny from these goats
a)
Registrations may only be made by a fully paid up member of the society
with a registered prefix b)
Application should be made by the breeder - that is the owner of the dam
at the time of the birth - of the animals to be registered. c)
Where this is not possible the society may at its discretion accept an
application from an owner other than the breeder. In such cases the
owners prefix shall be used as a suffix. d)
No two herds will be allowed to register the same prefix, (so check with
the registration Secretary that your chosen prefix is available). e)
Registration Applications shall be made on the appropriate form
obtainable from the registration Secretary f)
Colour of goats submitted for registration must be accurately described
on the application form as - either 'Show' or ‘Red’ or 'Commercial'. g)
'Show colour' is as described in Boer Goat Society “Breed Standards”
booklet h)
Red goats shall confirm to the Societies Breed Standard i) Boer goats exhibiting colours not conforming to either the ‘Show’
or ‘Red’ standard must be described as 'Commercial'. ' j) Show' goats will be allocated the letter ‘S’ and red goats the
letter ‘R’ commercial goats the letter ‘C’ following their registration
number. k)
A certificate of service signed by the owner of the buck shall accompany
each application, except where the servicing buck was in the registered
ownership of the breeder. (Forms obtainable from the British Goat
Society.) l) All goats to be registered with the society must be ear tagged in
their ears with an individual ear number and herd number to comply with
DEFRA regulations. This number must cross- reference to the goats'
registration number. m) Grades
of Boer goats are defined as follows:
Grade 0 - over 93.75% Boer genes
Grade 1 - over 87.5% Boer genes
Grade 2 - over 75.0% Boer genes
Grade 3 - over 50.0% Boer genes
Grade 4 - up to and including 50% Boer genes Percentage will be shown on the registration
certificate. n)
The British Boer Goat Society may, at its discretion, upgrade to 100%
those female Grade 0 Boers with over 96.87% Boer genes o)
All percentage female goats are eligible for registration. p)
Only Male Boer goats that are 100% [grade “0”] are eligible for
registration [i.e. both parents must be 100%] q)
On acceptance of a registration by the society, owners will be issued
with a registration certificate for each goat giving its registered
number and other particulars. The number will indicate its Grade,
registration number and colour of the goat e.g. “0- 234-S” vis. (Grade –
Registered number - Colour). r) All forms and certificates issued and received by, or on behalf
of, the society shall remain the property of the society. s)
All registered goats may be subject to inspection by a member of the
society committee on a random basis. If any goat is found not to conform
to the relevant breed standard on inspection its registration may be
changed or withdrawn. t) For an imported animal, its parents and grandparents as a minimum
must be registered with a bona-fide Boer Goat Society or Association in
their country of origin. (This may be more than 1 country). If the said
paperwork carries the correct qualifying percentage information, from a
recognized breeder, the goat shall be eligible for registration at the
stated percentage. If this is not available they will be registered at
75%. u)
If the said paperwork refers to only "full blood", "purebred" or similar
term or to an inspection percentage, the goat shall be eligible for
entry to Grade 0 (100%) only if it has reached the top of its grading. v)
For animals, where there is paperwork providing three generations of
pedigree from a recognized breeder, but which have not been registered
in accordance with rule 2(a) or 2(b) then rule 2(c) can apply and the
animal may be eligible for registration at a maximum grade 2 or 75% Such
animals can be subject to spot checks for accuracy by any member of the
committee authorised by the committee so to do and will be subject to
2(s).the registration may be subject to
scrutiny. Before entry to the BBGS Herd book the committee must
be satisfied with the validity of the paperwork. Any goat found to be
incorrectly described or registered is liable to be deregistered by the
Society at the discretion of the committee w) Where
there is no paper work or pedigree exists - then the animal will be
registered as 0% x)
If an application for registration is refused or withdrawn, the owner of
the said goat shall have the right of appeal to the committee, which
will appoint three members to inspect the animal and advise the
committee. Any decision then made by the committee will be final. y)
Registration fees: MALES £15 and FEMALES - £10.
Registration fees are doubled for kids not registered within one
year of birth, except imported goats which can be registered for the
normal fees at any age. Transfer of ownership £3. These sums are payable
to the British Boer Goat Society at time of application z)
Prefix Registration (including Defra number) - £10. aa) A 25% discount will be given on the total cost if
more than 10 goats are registered at the same time bb) Registrations to be included in the current year
herd book to be received before 31st December of that year. cc) Registration cards -. Registration cards should
be preserved and if the goat named thereon is sold the card must be
returned to the British Goat Society, accompanied by a transfer form
completed by the seller and the appropriate fee. No Alteration should be
made to the card other than by the society. The registration card for
any registered dead animals must be returned to the registration
secretary 4.
Annual
General Meetings a) There shall be an Annual General Meeting held for the society
within 12 months of the previous AGM b) A qualifying member is a member who has fully paid up current
membership of the society. The member can vote at meetings personally or
by post or by proxy. c) A qualifying member who is unable to attend personally the AGM or
any other meeting called by the Society and wish to register a vote,
they shall submit their postal vote or proxy vote 30 days before such
meeting, indicating their vote on such matters or indicate the name of
the person as they wish to act on their behalf, In default of a proxy
vote without a identified person nominated then the Chairman will vote
on their behalf. d) The rules of the society shall only be changed by a motion
proposed by not less than 5 qualifying members of the society and
approved by majority of qualifying voting members counted at an Annual
General Meeting. e) Indication and details of such proposed changes shall be sent to
the Secretary, not less than 90 days, before an AGM. f) The Secretary shall, if the proposal is in the correct form,
notify the whole membership not later than 60 days before an AGM of the
proposed rule changes to be put to the membership at an AGM, Such
notification shall contain the details of the proposal and is to be
included in the notice and agenda for the AGM. g) There will be a 51% vote from the qualifying voting membership in
favour for any motion to change the rules or to resolve any other
proposition put to the society h) The applications for positions of additional responsibility for
the society shall be nominated by one, and seconded by another of the
qualifying members of the society and notified to the Secretary not less
than 60 days before the AGM. i) The Chairman and Deputy Chairman, duly nominated, shall be
elected at the AGM by majority vote from qualifying voting members of
the Society. j) Uncontested positions will be determined at the AGM. k) A Secretary shall be appointed by the members at the AGM and
carry out such duties as requested by the committee. l) A Treasurer shall be elected at the AGM to hold securely on
behalf of the Society the monies of the Society. Shall pay and receive,
record and report such monies and transactions required, and report at
the Committee meetings and present final accounts at the AGM reporting
the transactions and the audited financial position of the Society m) A Registration Secretary shall be appointed at the AGM to:-
maintain a register of each uniquely numbered animal, record the status
of purity of the goats, and the register of the owner of each registered
Boer goat, on behalf of the members of the Society n) A Committee of ten members shall to be elected by majority vote
of all qualifying members and to stand in office for four years. o) Three committee members shall retire annually in rotation. In
case of three or more members who have served the same four years in
office, lots are to be drawn to decide which of such retiring members
shall stand for re-election... p) Those retiring committee members shall be eligible, if duly
proposed and seconded, for re-election to the committee at the AGM. q) The committee shall have the power to fill any casual vacancy for
office that may occur during the year, but such person appointed shall
only hold office until being considered and ratified by election at the
next AGM. This committee member if ratified by the AGM shall serve for
the remainder of period of office the person they replace would have
served - then seek re-election 5.
Management of the Society a) The society shall be managed in the interest of and on behalf of
the membership and in the Societies name by the elected Chairman, Deputy
Chairman and the Committee of ten members, including the Secretary and
Treasurer. b) A quorum for a committee meeting shall be five c) There will be one vote for each committee member all matters to
be resolved by a majority vote, if an equal vote the chairman of the
meeting shall have a casting vote d) The committee shall meet at least twice per year either in person
or by virtual meetings held electronically or by telephony e) The committee shall be notified, by the Secretary, not less than
10 days before of such a committee meeting, of the means of
communication, the date and time of the meeting and an agenda of what is
to be discussed along with any relevant pre meeting information relating
to that meeting.
a) Any complaint against a member or other person for having failed
to observe any of the rules or regulations of the society, or for being
guilty of discreditable conduct may be investigated by the committee. b) Such complaint must be made in writing by a member and due notice
of its nature must be given to each member of the committee and a copy
of the complaint posted to the person against whom the complaint is
made, at least seven days before the same is heard by the committee. c) The persons concerned shall be informed of the date and about the
time when the complaint will be considered, and they shall have the
right of being present with any witnesses or representation should they
desire, otherwise any evidence they wish to place before the committee
must be submitted in writing. d) The committees' decision in the matter shall be final. e) Every such complaint, unless made by an official of the society,
having no personal interest in the matter, must be accompanied by a
deposit of fifty pounds, which shall be liable to forfeiture should the
committee consider the complaint to be a frivolous one or one which
should not have been made. f) The committee shall be empowered, should the complaint be upheld,
to suspend the person whom the complaint is made from exhibiting at, or
taking part in, any show held under the rules and regulations of the
British Boer Goat Society for such a reasonable period as they decide,
and no entries for the herd book, or advertisements in the "newsletter"
or "for sale list" or other publications shall be accepted from anyone
so suspended during the period of suspension. g) In the event of a complaint against a member of the society being
upheld, such member shall cease to enjoy any privileges as a member from
the date of and during the period of suspensions, and may be removed
from the society by a resolution passed by a majority of the committee
present, not less than seven days’ notice of such intended action having
been given to the member and to each member of the committee. h) A member removed from the society under this rule shall have no
claim to the return of his or her subscription or any part thereof, or
to the return of any money or monies paid to the society. i) The committee shall be empowered to cancel, or reduce the period
of any suspension. 7.
Rules regarding Artificial Insemination. a)
Any males used for artificial insemination shall be registered with the
society using the current prescribed form. b)
Any member wishing to collect semen, freeze semen or use artificial
insemination shall apply in writing to the registration Secretary at
least 21 days prior to the collection, freezing or insemination of such
semen and that the person to be undertaking such collection, freezing or
insemination is made known to the society. c)
Any member making an application to collect semen, freeze semen or use
artificial insemination shall provide the society with all the
information as described in the appropriate artificial insemination
form. The straw identity cover is to be supplied to the Registration
Secretary when registering kids from artificial insemination. d)
The society reserves the right to reject an application. e)
All procedures will comply with current legislation 8.
Rules regarding Embryo transplant. a)
All donors and sires shall be registered with the society prior to
entering an embryo transplant programme. b)
The Secretary of the Boer Goat Society shall be informed of the member’s
intention to embryo transplant in writing 21 days prior to entering an
embryo transplant programme c)
Any member making an application for embryo transplant shall provide the
society with a copy of all the information as described in the
appropriate embryo transplant form d)
Before entering an embryo transplant programme ALL donors must have
produced at least one live kid by natural methods and the said kid has
been registered with the society. e)
The society reserves the right to reject an application. 9. Rules
regarding the import of Frozen Embryos and semen. a)
Members wishing to import frozen embryos shall make an application in
writing at least 21 days prior to the import of such embryos. b)
Any members making an application to import frozen embryos shall provide
a copy to the society of all the information as described in the
appropriate frozen embryo form. This application is to include the
certificates of percentage and pedigree of the donor goat. c)
The society reserves the right to reject an application.
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