THE SOUTH AFRICAN ALPACA BREEDERS’SOCIETY
Affiliated to the South African Stud Book and Livestock Improvement Association
MINUTES OF THE Annual General Meeting
At 10.00 am on Saturday 1st December 2007
at Serena Alpacas, MooiRiver, KZN.
- 10h00Welcome all members and confirm a quorum of paid up members present.
Gavin requested that items 6 and 5 be switched around. PJ said they should remain the same.
- 10h05Apologies
Di read out the names of members that had said they were unable to attend.
- 10h10Confirm the Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting
Proposed by Gavin, seconded by Manfred
- 10h15Receive the reports by Council –
President
Treasurer – Financial statement and report
Secretary
Attached
Gavin asked that it be minuted that he was asked to submit a report on the quarantine station – he made recommendations not allegations.
- 10h30Vote on all Proposals as detailed on pages 2, 3 & 4.
Proposal One – rejected unanimously.
Proposal 2: Accepted 36-10 votes
Proposal 3 – Accepted 34-12 votes
Porposal 4 – Accepted 42-4 votes
Proposal 5 – Accepted 32-14 votes
Proposal 6 – Accepted unanimously.
Proposal 7 – Accepted
Proposal 8 – Not accepted
Proposal 9 – Accepted 42-4 votes
Proposal 1: Date for the next AGM
It is hereby proposed that the next AGM be held on a datedetermined by Council but no later than 31 May 2009.
Accepted
Proposal 2: Phenotype Based Registrations
It is hereby proposed that clause 3.1.3 of the Constitution be amended with the removal of reference “Xn” and that the phenotype “H” and “S” be included on the Registration/Pedigree certificate detailing the parentage as far back as possible.
CHarl Hunlun said the proposal is very common in other species – just the phenotype is recordED at birth/inspection and then in future can deduce the true phenotype. Society can then decide how to allocate the genotype from the phenotype. A very logical step at the moment.
Gavin objected to H & S recording. - suggests we use the X1 if we know if it is a cross. Includes colour whether solid, H S or X1, X2. Next to each pedigree name is H or S. Those we don’t know then we obviously don’t know.
Kirsten suggested all animals from antiplano should then be all X
Lorna suggest H & S would be adequate – can see crosses by looking at generations.
Marion – says have to start from clean slate from now – suggest animals be reclassified if we discover they are not pure by virtue of cria.
Jane – cannot assume parentage – unknown with imports.
3,3 in bylelaws not constitution.
New certificates would have to be issued.
Charl – recording of H and S quite sufficient.to be marked on per capita form
Not a big process.Hereforsd and Angus cattle handle the two different types as subsections of the breed.
Proposal 3: Acceptance of breeders inspecting ONLY their FEMALE Alpacas for purpose of Registration
It is hereby proposed that for the next three years each breeder be allowed to inspect their own female alpacas in accordance with a procedure compiled by Council that only details disqualifying faults. Only alpacas that do not have these disqualifying faults shall be accepted for registration.
Lorna – must have an inspection document available.
PJ : time must be given for creation of document and tech people
Gavin – must amend wording. Needs to differential between SA and Imported ones – imported ones carry a different criteria..
Intention for this is SA bred animals. Need to specify that it is only for SA animals.
Charl – maybe amend constitution – must say except imported animals etc.
Must be clear in order to curb any squabbling about semantics.
PJ – must check whether any conflict with constitution. Gavin quoted bye-laws which show different specifications.
Pj – Each breeder becomes an inspector for own aminals based on certain criteria for a periond of 3 years.
Gavin – have already lost 2 years – animalshaven’t been micro chipped , colours not recorded properly. Suggests registrations certificates be copied and sent to a sub committee for checking.
Proposal 4: Certification of Males for Breeding Purposes
Proposer: Dietmar & Kirsten Kriel / Peter-John Garbutt
It is hereby proposed that all males undergo inspection to be certified for acceptance as suitable for Breeding. By no later than by 31 December 2009, all current breeding males shall have been inspected and certified. Each accepted male shall be issued with a Breed Certificate.
Lorna – asked for definition of certify – does it mean inspection by a recognised inspector.
PJ – we need criteria of what a male should be – to ensure are using best males to improve national herd, only using quality males.
James Brodie – showed Bonsmara book. Bulls are branded and you pay a premium for him. Suggests should be voluntarily done by breeders who can then require better prices for coverings etc. Requests proposal be changed to Voluntary not compulsory.
Marion J - But then studbook will not register off spring of bulls note certified.
Esta – why not do the same for the females. Do we have any inspector? We h ave people who have been on course but not certified by council.
Proposal 5: Milestones mapping future Inspection and Registration Procedures
It is hereby proposed that future Inspection and Registration Procedures follow these milestones
1)Breeders shall inspect and register their own females until 31 December 2010. Thereafter ALL alpacas shall be screened prior to acceptance and registration.
2)All breeding males are certified by 31 December 2009.
3)By 31 December 2008 a Breed Standard is presented on which all future inspections are based.
4)By 31 December 2008 a Certification procedure for Breeding Males is presented on which all future inspections are based.
5)By 31 December 2009 a Screening System is presented on which all future screening will be based.
Verena – if one inspector says male not worth registering and the owner disagrees – can appeal to council.
PJ – one year in which to set it all up where everybody has a say.
V – is it automatic that an imported male would be registered – PJ – says only if meets criteria.
Lorna – Age needs to be taken into consideration.
Jandre – If have an inspector coming out to farm may as well do females as well. Sub standard male can do a lot of damage – deregister all the offspring - = dramatic effect. Can’t be retrospective.
Jane – lot of alpaca owners are new to farming – floundering. 1 male to 10 females - ,male is of prime importance.
Kirsten – just meant to improve generations , not to get rid of anything.
Charl – good to hear voices of reason.
Q – why not quicker? PJ – if wecan get it out earlier great but need a time of grace.Want it as soon as possible.
Lorna – proposal 5.1 is the same as 3.
PJ – if proposal 3 is not accepted then 5.1 is also defeated.
Lorna says doesn’t need to be repeated.
Is screening the correct word? Lorna suggest Inspection instead. “be inspected prior to acceptance.
Also only referes to SA bred animals.
Proposal 6: Revised Pedigree Registration Certificate
It is hereby proposed the existing Pedigree Registration Certificate issued by SA Stud Book, be revised to included greater parentage detail, identifying both phenotype and colour. – See “New Registration Certificate 2007.jpg”
Suggests solid colour record only so needs to defined.
PJ said to introduce some sort of letter that the male is certified. – Australian one has a little star.
Kirsten – signatures not necessary on the pedigree must just be on birth notification.
Proposal 7: Birth Recording Certificate
It is hereby proposed that Council, or a selected sub-committee, design a birth recording certificate in accordance with other breed societies. This shall be completed and made available by 30 April 2008 and used for all birth recordings required by end May 2008 (Cl 7.1 Notification of Births).
Charl – registration certificates are all online with studbook. Proof that this is a registered and accepted animal. Focus on purpose and not clutter with other information.
Gavin raised idea of confidentiality – we asked for information about everybodys animals. Gavin deems this information proprietary. With studbook you have access online but no-one else has it. Kirsten said it gives transparency.
Jane asked what is rule re microchipping – and there is a time frame for it. Says it is extra costs.
Lorna – says makes them identifiable.
Charl – according to the animal improvement act – all animals must be uniquely identifiable. For pets – can’t brand or eartag. Up to the society to decide.
Sally – animal has to be permanently identified in order to transport on the road. Ie tattooing.
Marion – microchip less obtrusive.
Charl – some see it as an opportunity to subsidise when inspector comes. Society buys at fraction of the price – trains their inspectors to apply at inspection. Society charges a fee – less that vet charge and travel expense shared between microchip and inspection.
Verena – asks that society do it and then they get their vets to put it in.
Gavin – identipet do not require R25 per year. Charl – the microchip number is on the registration certificate – when you sell animal then it is transferred automatically.
Studbook will keep all data the society requires us to keep even if it is non registered animals going as pets.
Proposal 8: Council seat for Large Breeders
It is hereby proposed that breeders having more than 150 alpacas in May of each year be granted a seat on Council with full voting rights.
Lorna – what if we have 15 big breeders – won’t council be too heavy? PJ says can change as we go on
Kirsten suggests 1 vote per member and 1 additional vote per 10 breeding females, .Jane suggested that we drop the level to 100.
Charl –Election to council is limited to active breeders but including the big breeders is not necessarily a bad thing. Number not cast in stone, Society will decide once a year to change if necessary.
Gavin said can’t vote without changing constitution. PJ – said we have 75% so we can.
James – this is an unvoted position so person may or may not be good. Councilis meant to look after all members not just those with big numbers.
- 11h15Topics for discussion
Enlighten members of the implications and responsibilities of being a Society
Inspections, inspectors and registrations – Gavin Lindhorst
A paid secretary be considered for appointment as our Society Secretary – GL
Verena –thanked Eva
Eva said that she nothing done in last year because waiting for name to change. Only did the advertisement in the Stock Breeders manual.
Gavin – says Eva to be kept on but not on council – on a sub-committeee. Co-opted as marketing person not on council.
Charl:
Stud breeders manual – tells you all the information you need, registration, what studbook does etc. English and Afrikaans, also tells duties of breeder societies and studbook.
R75
R65 for Society.
Society is an organisation for a particular breed of animals but manages the people who own the animals. Constitutions must be clear and concise. Never be afraid to ask Studbook for help but rules are drawn up by your own society – you decide how to do things. Spells out the tasks of the society. Charl says from our discussions we need enlightenment from the people in the know – what is an inspection, why should we register males for breedings etc – must understand why we are doing it – improvement of the breed is overall – through that we will all prosper proportionally. If we let the unregistered animals run amok – will kill our business. If it is the wish of this society – all alpacas bred by our members but sold outside to non members – will remain on the system, can even record weight of fleeces – for the benefit of all breeders.
Gavin asked can a non registered male have a registered offspring – Answer: no.
All reports can be done however the society wants it.
Secretary should collate all old certificates and then they will be replaced so that they are not duplicated.
Performance testing – done so that you can test the reasons for which you keep alpacas – meat, fleece? Select for fibre, staple length etc, if we want to iprove a trait of economic importance in our animals – we must measure it and record it so can use it to the benefit of all.
The moment a registered animal is sold to a non registered breeder it is not registered anymore. Cheapest way to register is per capita.
Jane – dichotomy between pet and commercial animals. Garage full of fibre – which are we? Even pets can have commercial qualities.
Esta – this is such a valuable opportunity to meet – proposes that we meet again in 2008 not 2009 - we will lose momentum if we wait.
Charl Hunlun spoke while we were voting:
Procedures
1. Birth Notification
2. registration after inspection
If not inspected by 24 months than will be rejected. Age by which the animal must be inspected must be in the constitution and we need to inform studbook.
Gavin – Paid Secretary
Please see attached list of duties of secretary. He suggested that either this be handled by a secretary at Studbook OR a paid person.
James Brodie – Studbook performance is enforceable and neutral. Cost is not negotiable – R30 000 for 50 members and 500 animals. R8500 of which is saved by not paying for direct dealing anymore.
Lorna – Club prices must go up in order to allow this.
PJ – Council will have to decide, can’t go on as we are. Must check costs.
There was a show of hands to say we must have our own secretary – carried.
Council to see the most cost effective way of dealing with this.
Esta – do we have money for an auditor?
Charl – to supply list of auditors currently being used by other Societies.
- 12h30Lunch
- 13h15Topics for discussion
Speaker from a society / studbook re scientific side of breeding- Sally Kingwell
Role of regional clubs / meetings within the breeders society - Sally Kingwell
Fibre production - where to, how, what is required - Sally Kingwell
Marketing of your alpacas- basics required and how best - Sally Kingwell
Marketing: Dana Bidell – Stitches and Bear – new magazine
alternative to stud breeding, other ways to owning and breeding alpacas- Sally Kingwell
workshops, international speakers, fees - Sally Kingwell
- 14h00Elect new Council by ballot by members present and proxies – Five Council members
The following members were elected:
PJ Garbutt
James Brodie
Dietmar Keil
Gavin Lindhorst
Lee Ermen
- 14h10Elect new President and Vice-President.
President: PJ Garbutt
Vice-President: James Brodie
- 14h20General - Planning for the next year
Group Discussions based on tabled resolutions that are accepted through majority votes
General
Registration
Previously we had various types of registration:
Studbook
Appendix A
Appendix B
Studbook would like to reinstall this system
Gavin: The concern that un-neutered males are being sold.
Sale of 6 month old animals. Discussion on non-enforceable castration in sales contracts Studbook needs to be informed to whom animals are sold.
Gavin recommends that the Secretary of the Society be informed on the sale of non-breeding animals – important for membership purposes, they can be encouraged to join. The secretary should send them letters to make sure the animal is neutered and get a vets certificate... It is up to each member to be responsible about sales.
Manfred
What are the definition of Breeders vs commercial farmers?
Breeder – produces quality stock which is then sold on to the commercial farmers to improve their stock. At the moment fleece is secondary but is actually our final goal.
Kersten – definition of fertility in a sales contract
The society needs to include definitions of terms in the Deed of sale contact ie fertility. Is it the ability to conceive or the ability to give birth?
PJ – We need to have a code of conduct and a specimen deed of sale – not wise to have different wordings.
Jandre – must stillborns be registered?
Lorna suggests a sub-committee to work on these documents and then get them checked by a lawyer.
Gavin – it was incorrect of Council to send the letter from Carmen to members. The clause in the deed of sale was taken from an Australian contract - fertility is a difficult thing to prove when the animal was imported in good faith.
The definition either “Not able to conceive” or whatever should be standardised in a code of conduct.
Gavin got a definition of male infertility from AAA. He has other animals that don’t conceive and can’t sell them on.
PJ – it comes down to the 2 different definitions of fertility – a very contentious issue.
Jane Tyrer – suggest we drop the word as it is open to so many misconceptions.
Kersten – each breeder has to decide his own way according to his opwn ethics and morals.
Jane – have to also consider “sub-fertile” may need drug intervention. What to do with sterile female alpacas? To cull? Sell as herd guards?
Other
No sub-grade alpacas are to be brought in from overseas and sold to unregistered breeders. They need to be more diligent in what they bring in to the country – must only be to improve the current stock.
NGO – the Landmark Foundation are documenting the introduction of Alpacas as herd guards
A new magazine “Stitches and bears” want alpaca stories from breeders. 15th January is the cut-off date.
Esta – why do we own alpacas? Where are we going? To sell to SA? Tto export at a better cost ratio? We need to develop something unique that sets us apart with our alpacas and garments. A fair proportion of us came into the industry because we were silly – now we need to make sure we grow our industry.
Chris Notley – recommends a cream from the UK called “Camrosa” for scabby faces ( or Email: )
Lorna – the IAJS breed standard is a good basis for our breed standard as it takes the best from all countries and has created an international standard that can be applied to all.
The meeting ended at 16.30.