Society Rules and Regulations

General Regulations

  1. Definition of Registers

Register “E” will contain entries of animals which can trace their total ancestry without break in Register ‘E’, and which meet the breed standard and other conditions required by current regulations of the Society.

Animals which have an ancestor registered in the former Register “X” will be eligible for Register “E”.  All other ancestors must trace their ancestry without break to Register ‘E’.

Register ‘S’ will contain entries of all other animals that are eligible for registration as White Park cattle as recognised by the Society. Progeny of ‘S’ Register animals are not eligible for registration in the ‘E’ Register.

Animals which do not conform to the breed standard, or fail to meet required inspection criteria, or do not fulfil other requirements of the White Park Cattle Society, are not eligible for registration, but may be noted in Register ‘Q’ if the breeder so wishes.

Progeny of “Q” Register animals are not eligible for registration in any other register.

White Park animals that are eligible for entry in the herd book under the criteria of White Park Cattle Society Ltd described above may by entered in the appropriate Register of the herd book without discrimination on account of their country of origin.

  1. Prefix

Each registered herd will be allocated a prefix which must be one word with a maximum of 12 characters.

The prefix allocated to each animal shall be that of the herd to which it belongs at the time of birth

  1. Records

Complete and accurate records must be maintained in each herd of the mating groups, births, deaths, sales and purchases of animals. These records must be available for inspection by the Society at any time.

Annual Herd Return

An annual return must be made for each herd on the prescribed form.

If the annual return is not submitted to the Society by the required date no further registrations will be processed until the return is received, which in turn could incur late registration fees.

Birth Registration

All Pedigree Births must be notified to the Society, giving full details of the calf (born alive or dead) including colour and other characteristics that are required on the appropriate form.

  1. Eligibility

No application for registration will be accepted from a breeder who has not paid all fees (including back-dated) which are due, or who has not completed all records which are required.

  1. Identification

Each registered animal will be identified by both an ear tag number and a Herd Book number. Calves must be tagged as required by Government regulations and the ear tag number must be shown on the calving record and the application for registration. The Herd Book number will be allocated by the Society.

  1. A.I. and non-owned bulls

Where a calf is not conceived by natural service by a bull owned by the breeder, the application for registration must be accompanied either by the relevant A.I. certificate or by a certificate of service from the owner of the serving bull.

  1. Embryo Transfer

Donor cows must be registered in Register ‘E’ and must be approved by Council at least ten weeks before flushing commences. The collection and transfer of embryos must be carried out by an operator and Centre approved by Council. Application for registration of a calf which is the result of embryo transfer must be accompanied by verification of parentage by blood-typing or DNA profiling. Such calves will carry the suffix “ET”.

  1. Doubtful Pedigree

In cases of doubtful pedigree, blood-typing or DNA profiling or any other appropriate procedure may be carried out by the Society. If the results do not confirm the pedigree declared by the breeder, the animal will not be eligible for registration, or will be de-registered if already registered, and the breeder will meet all costs associated with the investigation of that animal and will be subject to disciplinary action by the Society.

Registration procedure

  1. Eligibility

All animals entered in the Herd Book must be registered in accordance with the requirements of the registration programme as detailed in these regulations.

  1. Time limit

Application for registration of each heifer calf, and birth notification for each bull calf, must be made within 3 months of the date of birth.

Late applications for registration will incur late registration fees.

  1. Application details

Applications for registration shall include the ear tag number of the calf, the Herd Book number of its sire and dam, its date of birth, its colour and such other details as may be required on the Birth Registration document.

The name of a calf must be one word and may not exceed 12 characters.

  1. Certificates

A registration certificate will be issued by the Society for each eligible calf for which proper information and full fees have been submitted.

  1. Transfer of ownership

When a registered animal is sold or culled or dies the transfer slip on the registration certificate must be completed and returned without delay to the office of the Society. A new certificate will be issued by the Society to the new owner when the transfer slip has been returned and fee paid.

Registration of bulls

  1. Eligibility

A bull is not eligible for registration unless both parents are entered in the “E” register of the Herd Book and he meets the breed standard currently in force.

  1. DNA profiling

A DNA sample must be provided for the bull and for his dam. If the dam of the bull is not available to provide a DNA sample at the premises where the bull is inspected at the time of inspection, extra charges may be levied on the applicant.

An animal marked with *, ** or *** on its registration certificate refers to the following statement:-

A bull is not eligible for registration if any of his ancestors in the first three generations (i.e. sire, dam, grandparents and great-grandparents) has a DNA profile which falls outside the permitted variation of the White Park breed DNA profile.

  1. Society inspection

A bull submitted for registration must be inspected by an inspector appointed by the Society when, ideally, he is not less than 21 months of age, but preferably not less than 24 months of age. The inspector may postpone the inspection of any bull that is presented in extreme condition.

The inspector will assess the bull for type and functional soundness, will evaluate his size and weight in relation to his rearing system, and will submit a report and recommendation to Council. The dam of the bull also will be inspected if she is alive, together with any other close relatives that the inspector wishes to inspect.  An inspection fee will be charged.

If a bull fails inspection, he will not be eligible for registration and the breeder will be notified. The breeder of a bull which has been rejected by the inspector may appeal to the Council within three weeks of notification of the result of the inspection, and the bull will be re-inspected by a different inspector.    If the appeal is upheld the Society will meet the costs of the re-inspection; if the appeal is rejected the breeder will meet the costs of the re-inspection.

  1. Eligibility for breeding 

A bull may not be used for pedigree breeding until it has been properly registered.

Breed standard 

  1. Type

The White Park is a beef breed which is thrifty and efficient. It is adapted to non-intensive systems of management and converts coarse herbage into high-quality, lean, well-marbled beef. The cows are noted for ease of calving, milkiness and high fertility, while animals used for cross breeding produce ease of calving and exceptional hybrid vigour.

  1. Colour

White with coloured (usually black, but red is permissible) points; that is muzzle, ears, eye rims and feet. Teats and horn tips usually are black but may lack pigment. Bulls which are whole coloured or heavily over-marked are not desirable.  The colour pattern is dominant.

  1. Horns

Long or medium-long. In cows they normally grow sideways, curving first forwards and then upwards. In bulls they are stronger and less curved.

Any animal that is de-horned is not eligible for:-

a) Bull Inspection

b) Entry into any Shows

  1. Size

White Park cattle are late-maturing, but mature bulls may weigh approximately one ton when fully grown. A strict standard of size and weight is not applied because it is recognised that this depends to a large degree on systems of management and climatic conditions, and the size and weight of each animal reflects its environment as much as its genetics.

  1. DNA

The White Park breed DNA profile is an integral part of the breed standard.

  1. Sales

Auctioneers’ conditions apply when animals are sold at public auction.

  1. Shows

a) Only animals entered in the full “E” register of the Herd Book may be shown in recognised Rare Breed and White Park classes.

b) Animals which do not conform to the breed standard may not be entered in any shows.

 

January 2019

 

White park heifers shading under trees
White park heifers shading under trees