Recently, the ANKC Ltd has been in negotiations with the FCI for the continuance as an Associate Member. Over the years the FCI has allowed the ANKC Ltd to operate in a manner that in many cases was in breach of the FCI Statutes, the FCI has informed us that this is no longer tenable if we are to remain members and we will be expected to comply with the FCI Statutes for an Associate Member as per all the other FCI Associate Members.
In June 2016 the ANKC Ltd President and Vice President attended a meeting in Belgium with the FCI Executive to express our concerns with Australia being required to comply fully with the FCI Statues due to our isolation and Bio Security requirements, the meeting was very successful and the FCI were very responsive to the ANKC Ltd views and a reasonable way forward was discussed.
From that meeting and subsequent correspondence from the FCI Secretariat the following is proposed to be put to the FCI General Committee:
That the ANKC Ltd continue as an Associate Member of the FCI with the following understandings:
The expectations of the FCI are reasonable and continued Associate Membership allows ANKC Ltd, Member Bodies to contract FCI Judges to judge in Australia and our Judges to gain valuable experience judging at FCI events. It also facilitates the continued exporting and importing of dogs from FCI countries to further develop our bloodlines.
The ANKC Ltd Directors will be meeting with members of the FCI Executive later this year. It is anticipated that ANKC Ltd and the FCI will come to an agreement in principle. Should you have any uncertainties in relation to ANKC Ltd continued Associate Membership with the FCI you are urged to discuss them with your Member Body ANKC Ltd Director/s to ensure you get the complete facts.
Regards,
Hugh Gent OAM
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Australian National Kennel Council Ltd
ANKC Ltd Directors:
Dogs ACT - Simon Mills
Dogs NSW - Elizabeth Gunter & Russell Britten
Dogs NT - Mel Hammet
Dogs QLD - Shane Thomas and Ainslie Carius
Dogs SA - Brian Parker
Dogs TAS - David Sales
Dogs VIC - Wayne Fleming & Darren Bowey
Dogs WA - Pam Campbell
Recently ANKC Ltd conducted a survey to ascertain the opinion of registered German Shepherd Dog owners in relation to Litter Registration Limitations of the breed. The response received has indicated overwhelming support for the following:
Litter Registration Limitations are to be amended as follows and will apply for litters born from 1st January 2017:-
1.1 Both parents of every litter must be screened for Hip Dysplasia through an official Hip Dysplasia Control Scheme. Where the parents have been born after the 30th June 2015, they must record a score of no more than eight (8) on either hip, with no more than three (3) in any one area, or in the case of imported animals, a grading that is deemed to be acceptable for breeding in their country of origin.
1.2 Both parents of every litter must be screened for Elbow Dysplasia through an official Elbow Dysplasia Control Scheme. Where the parents have been born after the 30th June 2015, they must record a grading of Normal, Near Normal or Grade One on both elbows, and must be free from the condition of UAP (Ununited Anconeal Process).
Breeders of litters whelped on or after 1st January, 2017, will be required to comply with the requirements as a prerequisite to registration of any litter on the ANKC Ltd Main Register. Dogs must be positively identified by microchip, and/or tattoo prior to being x-rayed. Litters which do not meet the above requirements will only be able to be placed on the Limited Register and will be flagged not to be upgraded.
Ms Tracey Barry
ANKC Ltd Administrator
The AVA and ANKC Ltd jointly established the Canine Hip and Elbow dysplasia scheme in January 2000, and since that time the AVA has been responsible for administering the scheme from its Canberra office.
The AVA has now decided to cease participation in the scheme, and ANKC Ltd will become the sole manager of the scheme once the transfer takes place.
The transition of administrative functions will occur over the next few months and is expected to be completed by the end of April, 2016.
From Monday 2nd of May 2016, all submissions will be sent directly from the Veterinarian taking the x-rays to a member of the ANKC Ltd Radiologists Panel.
Full details of the new procedures and ANKC Ltd Radiologists Panel will be available from ww.ankc.org.au prior to 2 May 2016. [NOTE: The existing Radiologists Panel will continue until 30 April 2016 and full details of the ANKC Ltd Panel will be made available from our website as soon as possible.]
Since the announcement of the awarding of the FCI World Show 2019 to China, a number of Northern Hemisphere Kennel Clubs have indicated that they will boycott the event in, protest against the cruel and barbaric killing of dogs at the Yulin Festival in Guangxi Province.
The ANKC Ltd Directors share the abhorrence of this sadistic slaughter of dogs which is against all the tenets of Animal Welfare as embraced in Australia, and are fully cognisant of the genuine feelings of the Australian owners, breeders and exhibitors of dogs, who support a boycott of the WDS in China.
The Board are monitoring the global discussions of the proponents and opponents of the conduct of the WDS in China, and has written to the China Kennel Union seeking information as to the steps they are taking, to persuade the Authorities in Chinese Provinces where the sadistic killing of dogs is still condoned, to outlaw the practice.
The Board has also written to His Excellency Ma Zhaohxu the Chinese Ambassador in Canberra asking him to use his influence to stop cruel barbaric activities such as the Yulin Festival and have intimated to him that Australia’s support of the WDS is contingent on receiving information that the relevant authorities are moving to ban the sadistic killing of dogs.
Notice is hereby given that the next meeting of National Breed Councils will be held on Saturday, 13th June, 2015, commencing at 9.30 a.m. at:
Dogs Victoria Bulla Exhibition Centre
Calabria Club
5 Uniting Lane
BULLA VICTORIA 3428
National Breed Councils are invited to submit agenda items for this meeting to the ANKC Administrator, by no later than COB Tuesday, 31 March 2015 to allow sufficient time for the agenda to be promulgated prior to the meeting.
National Breed Councils are invited to send two representatives to attend the meeting. The names of your representatives are to be submitted to the ANKC Administrator, by no later than COB 13 Wednesday, May 2015.
T Barry
ANKC Ltd Administrator
ANKC Ltd has a National Breed Standards Group (NBSCG) formed with committee members from different States. They have appointed Marie Merchant (SA) as the Chair and the committee is made up with Geoff Love (SA), Peter Frost (VIC), Frank Waring (WA), Ian Rasmussen (QLD) and Jim Black (VIC).
The brief of this committee is to overview and manage the breed standards used by ANKC Ltd. We use standards from either the country of development, the Kennel Club (UK), American Kennel Club (AKC) or the FCI. It must be pointed out that the majority of standards are not owned by Australia but by the country of origin or their governing body.
As some breed standards differ slightly from organization to organization, the committee will consider which of the standards is most suitable for the Australian dog world. Should the majority of our breeders/owners feel that one standard is more suitable than the one being used, it is possible after a long and involved process involving all of the people in that breed to change the standard being used by one organization to another. As an example, this allows ANKC Ltd to change from an AKC standard to an FCI or an FCI to a Kennel Club (UK) standard, but it does not allow for the content of any standard to be changed in any way.
The important thing that members must realise is that a standard cannot be altered as they are the property of those organizations. However it is possible to change the standard in its entirety to another version, providing it has the support of a large majority of owners in Australia.
As mentioned previously ANKC Ltd does not own a majority of the breed standards, so we are not able to make a change to a standard. Only the country or organisation that owns a standard may make changes and if they do so, then once they notify ANKC Ltd, those changes will flow onto the breed standard that we use in Australia.
From time to time the NBSCG receives a request from a member or a breed club to change a breed standard, please be aware that we are not able to make any change to the actual standard we can only make a choice between the standards from those organizations.
Marie Merchant
Chairperson ANKC Ltd
Breed Standards Coordination Group
December 2014
ANKC Ltd is seeking information from all Member Bodies and National Breed Councils into the scheduling of eye diseases where Breed Clubs/National Breed Councils believe the disease is incorrectly scheduled, the reasons why and where they think it should be scheduled and why.
This is to allow for any concerns ANKC Ltd has with ACES to be addressed with the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) at a later date.
Please forward submissions to the ANKC Ltd Administrator at email address: administrator@ankc.org.au by no later than COB 27 February 2015.
Tracey Barry Administrator
August 2014
The ANKC Ltd Board has endorsed a recommendation from the National Breed Standards Coordination Group for the Tatra Shepherd Dog to be moved from Group 6 (Utility) to Group 5 (Working Dog).
As ANKC Ltd has adopted the FCI Standard for this Breed it was agreed the Breed should be exhibited in a similar Group as that designated by FCI.
The effective date for this change will be 1 January 2015 to allow sufficient time for Judges, Clubs and Exhibitors to be advised.
Tracey Barry Administrator July 2014
The ANKC Ltd Retrieving & Field Trial Hall of Fame pays homage to those PERSONS and DOGS that have made outstanding and significant contributions to the sports of Retrieving or Field Trials.
As Convenor of the ANKC Ltd Retrieving & Field Trial Hall of Fame Election Panel, it is with pleasure that I announce the inductees for 2013.
PROMINENT PERSONS I advise that MR STEPHEN HALL of Victoria has been recognised.
DISTINGUISHED DOGS NTL. RT CH (04 07) GR. RT. CH. Adderslot Crackers Triga CM owned by Mr. R & Mrs. S Whitechurch
Inductees in the category of Prominent Persons are acknowledged as being exceptional people who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport over an extended period of time.
Inductees in the category of Outstanding Gundogs are recognized for their outstanding achievements in the disciplines of Retrieving or Field Trials. The Election Panel congratulates the new inductees for 2013.
T STEVENS
Convenor
At the ANKC Ltd Board Meeting held in Melbourne on 21st October 2012 the Directors considered issues surrounding a number of Irish Wolfhounds that were descended from what had been identified as an unknown sire. The proceedings were held in Camera.
A unanimous Resolution to recognise and register the progeny of the dogs in question on the ANKC Ltd Database has resulted in unprecedented commentary in the Canine and Social Media, in recognition of which the Directors have agreed that the decision should be made public.
The decision was: ANKC Ltd has resolved to admit the affected dogs to the ANKC Ltd register after taking into account the following:
• Having taken all possible steps to establish the genetic history of affected dogs;
• Noting that sufficient numbers of affected progeny have been exhibited and awarded as Irish Wolfhounds by both ANKC Ltd and International Judges;
• Conscious of the need to balance the integrity of the Register with the interest of owners who purchased affected dogs as ANKC Ltd pedigreed Irish Wolfhounds;
• Noting the time that has elapsed since the litters by the unknown sire were whelped.
It is also pointed out that ANKC Ltd has previously re-registered imported dogs which have blank spaces in their pedigrees certified by recognised overseas controlling authorities and in respect of some breeds which are trying to introduce specific genes into a breed where it is known that a cross mating took place as few as four generations previously.
ANKC Ltd will continue to monitor the situation.
Hugh Gent OAM
President
March 2013
