IRISH TEXEL SHEEP SOCIETY LIMITED.

FLOCK BOOK RULES

A.Eligibility for Membership of the Society.

  1. All applications for Membership of the Society shall be considered by the Council of the Society who shall have the absolute right to accept or reject any application for membership.
  2. In order to be eligible for membership a breeder should have a minimum of 5 registered females before he/she can be considered for membership of The Irish Texel Sheep Society.
  3. All new applicants for membership must be over 16 years of age, or alternatively the application form must be co-signed by a parent or guardian. The voting rights shall be the entitlement of the parent/guardian.
  4. All new applications for membership must be received by the 31st December of the year prior to lambing. Applications received after this date will not be eligible for entry to Society sales in the first year of membership.
  1. Fees.

Fees are fixed annually by the Council of the Society; and are at present the following:

Annual Membership Fee €50 (Members of Lambplus)

€115 (Non Lambplus Members)

For each ram registered €20 (€35 in the case of an imported ram)

For each ewe mated annually € 5 (Late fee - €10 if after 31st October)

For each ewe lamb registered €10(until approx 18 months old)

For each ewe or hogget registered €10 (Late registration fee - €20 if after 31st Oct.)

For each imported female €15

Imported Ram Semen (per ram used) €10

Reprinting of Certs€10 each

Late Birth Notification Fee€10 per sheep notified

All membership fees should be paid by 31st October each year.

Ewe mating fees shall be paid by 31st October in the year of mating for the next calender year, based on the number of ewes put to the ram in that year. These fees, together with a list of the ewes mated, must with the Secretary by that date; if these fees are not received by the 31st October, the ewe matingfee will be doubled to €10.The final date for receipt of late fees and all other payments pertaining to this is 31st December. After the 31st of December full rejoining fees and membership of €115 plus mating fees are due.

Ewes must only be included for mating purposes that will be in their second year following birth at the time of lambing. For clarification, ewe lambs should not be included when sending returns to the Society at €5 each.

  1. Registration of Animals.
  1. Members must register a Prefix and will be assigned a 3 letter Flock Code by the Secretary on joining the Society. No Flock Code or Prefix, which has already appeared in the Flock Book, may be duplicated.
  1. Only Members of the Society shall be allowed to register females in the Society’s Flock Book.
  1. Any member, who holds a flock dispersal sale, will automatically surrender his/her flockPREFIX and Flock Code for all time. He/she may not rejoin the Society for a period of three years. He/she may re-apply to enter the Society and, when accepted, will be assigned a new flock PREFIX and Flock Code and pay the appropriate entrance fee to the Society.
  1. Any member whose membership lapses for more than three months (3) calendar year will forfeit the flock PREFIXand Flock Code for all time. He/she may re-apply to enter the Society and, if accepted, will be assigned a new flock PREFIX and Flock Code and pay the appropriate entrance fee to the Society, plus any outstanding fees due as deemed appropriate.
  1. All entries for the Flock Book must be made on the prescribed forms of the Society, obtainable from the Secretary, or alternatively can be uploadedonto the flockbook through the Societys website. All particulars required on these forms must be given in full and duly certified by the breeder or owner, who must be a member of the Society or his accredited agent or representative.
  1. Registration of sheep can only be accepted on the understanding that the applicant agrees to the inspection of his/her flock if considered necessary by the Council, and that he/she abides by the decision of the Council as to the eligibility of his/her animals for registration; and that he/she agrees to pay the expenses of such inspection. Inspection may generally be required in the case of animals purchased privately from another breeder, or in the case of imported animals, particularly females.
  1. No entry will be accepted unless accompanied by the appropriate fees.
  1. An animal shall be eligible for registration provided that it be:

(a)the offspring born into a Pedigree Texel flock of a sire and dam registered in the Irish Texel Sheep Society Flock Book (or of Pedigree Texels registered in a recognized Texel Flock Book outside of Ireland), and

(b)Members registering sheep not of their breeding, must if so required, furnish satisfactory proof of the purchase thereof; the particulars of the animal’s breeding must be certified by the actual breeder.

  1. Flocks must be set up prior to lambing to faciliate the birth notifying of lambs.
  1. All lambs should be birth notified by 30thApril in the year of their birth (lambs born after this date may be birth notified up to 31st December in the year of their birth) on the prescribed forms (see No.5 above). All lambs birth notified after the closing deadline of 30th April in the year of birth, will be charged a late notification fee of €10 each to the breeder and they do not qualify for any ram certificate promotion. The obvious exception to this is lambs born after 30th April.
  1. Any birth notified females not registered as lambs, MUST BE registered by 31st October in the year following birth. If not registered by that date, they will be subject to a late registrationfee of €20, up to 31st December in that year. Registration of ewes after this date is subject to late registration fees as determined by Council.
  1. Notching and Tattooing at birth is optional and is not obligatory. Either or both may be done but it is only for the purposes of flock management.
  1. Lambs can be numbered in chronological order as they are born to aid with flock management. All lambs are double tagged as soon as possible after birth, in accordance with Department of Agriculture regulations. An EID (electronic) tag is inserted into the right ear, a plastic tag containing the NSIS Number is inserted into the left ear. The last five digits of the NSIS No. must must be embossed (no handwritten details are permitted) onto the back of at least one or both tags depending on supplier. Eg: ABC1702345.
  1. No male or female shall be eligible for registration in the Flock Book, or shall be offered at any sale held under the auspices of the Society, unless conforming to the above requirements.
  2. All males and females should be registered by the shearling stage (i.e. by the end of the year following their birth). Breeders wishing to register older males may only be permitted to do so and are subject to late registration fees as determined by Council. In case the Council, at any future date, discovers any inaccuracy in any Flock Book entry, they reserve the right to cancel such an entry.
  3. No Changes will be made to parentage, without DNA verification being sent to the Society. It is the responsibility of the Breeder to supply and fund this.
  4. Following initial registration, any certificate that has to be reprinted i.e Lost and Replacement Certs, requests for change of sex will be charged at a cost of €10 each to the breeder.
  1. The Council reserves the right to decline any registration.
  1. All members are encouraged to participate in the Recording, Scanning and Breed Improvement Scheme operated by Sheep Ireland, Highfield House, Bandon Co. Cork.
  1. Council reserves the right to request DNA samples of any animal birth notified to the Society for parental verification or for purposes deemed appropriate as the need may arise.
  1. Qualification for entry to Society Shows and Sales

Any entries for Shows and Sales run under the auspices of the Society shall comply with the following regulations:

  1. Members whose fees are not with the Secretary by 31stDecember shall be excluded from all Society sales, including Club sales for the following year.
  2. A breeders sale allocation is based on the number of ewes mated per Department of Agriculture flock designator.
  1. All Texel sheep (lambs, shearlings and upwards) on a breeder’s farm or in a breeder’s possession entered for such shows and sales shall not be trimmed, teased or brushed, save for the squaring of the tail. Failure to comply with this regulation will lead to the disqualification of that animal from the particular show and all future shows and sales in that year. In respect of washing an animal, the use of a power hose is not permitted.
  1. All sheep, except lambs, must be shorn bare each year after 1st April for all shows. Lambs must not be shorn before 15th September.
  1. Breeders intending to hold sales, other than those organized by the Society, must notify the Society Secretary of their intention to do so not later than two months prior to the date of the intended sale. The date, venue and overview of sales details must be supplied. All sales details are supplied subject to unforeseen circumstances.
  1. No lamb may be entered in more than one class except at the Premier Sale where a lamb entered in the Open class or Performance Recorded Class may also be entered in the ‘Group of Three’ class.
  1. A ewe entered in the ‘2 year old and upward’ class must be visibly seen to have reared a lamb(s) in the current year. This is judged at the judges discretion and his decision is final.
  1. Any Texel sheep being exhibited at a National Texel event e.g: National Championships must have been registered into a flock of the Irish Texel Sheep Society at least three calender months prior to the event.
  1. It is the responsibility of each breeder to acquaint themselves with the Rules and Regulations of the Society and any changes that may be made thereto from time to time. Only sheep complying with these Rules should be entered for Society sales.
  1. Entries will be accepted from members whose Annual membership has been paid by 31st December of the previous year and whose birth notifications have been received by 30th April in the year of birth. Members whose birth notifications have not been received by 30th April shall be ineligible to enter any Society sale, including Club sales in that year. Each lamb that is birth notified to the Society after 30th April in the year of birth is subject to a late notification fee of €10 per lamb. The only exception to this is lambs born after 30th April. New members who application for membership was received after the 31st December of the year prior to their application are in-illegible for entry to society sales.
  1. If an application for new membership is received after the 01st January in any calender year, then that new member is ineligible for entry to Society Sales in that year. Entry to club sales are at the discretion of each region.
  1. Entries must be the produce of registered Irish Texel Sheep Society flocks and be the property of a member of the Irish Texel Sheep Society. Ram and ewe lambs must be bred by the exhibitor and bear the registered flock Code, lamb and year number embossed onto the tag.The notches will identify the number of each individual lamb. Ear notches must correspond with the details embossed onto the tag. Sheep with incorrect details will be reject upon inspection at Society sales. Imported rams must be registered with the Irish Texel Sheep Society prior to being entered in a Society sale. Each breeder is limited to entering one imported ram for any sale.
  1. The Society’s inspectors and/or appointed Society Veterinary Inspector will inspect all sheep, entered for a sale. The inspectors or Veterinary Inspector will have the power to disqualify any sheep from the show and sale up to the time of the sheep entering the sales ring that does not conform to the Rules of the Society i.e. sheep that are brushed, teased, trimmed, power hosed, have black patches on their wool, are incorrectly or freshly notched or tagged, are of poor quality, or are a discredit to the breed. The Veterinary Inspector will have the power to disqualify any sheep from the sale that in his or her opinion is unsuitable for breeding. The decision of the inspector(s) and or Veterinary Inspector on the day shall be final. Exhibitors must be present when their sheep are being inspected, but remain outside the pen, and should facilitate the inspectors by presenting sheep with clean ears, double tagged with NSIS No. and pedigree identification . Rejected sheep must be removed from the pens immediately. The Society reserves the right to take a wool sample from any sheep entered for a sale.
  1. Where possible, inspections shall be done at entry to the sales yard. Rejected sheep will be removed from the sales area immediately. Any member with sheep rejected for being trimmed or the fleece tampered with will have all his/her sheep removed from the sales premises and will be subject to penalties described in Rule 9 of the Society’s Constitution.
  1. Pedigree Certificates for sheep entered must be handed to the steward on entry to the sales yard or to the sales office. The lot number should be entered on the pedigree certificate.
  1. The recommended order of sale is: (1) Shearling and Older rams; (2) Ram lambs; (3) Shearling ewes; (4) Ewe lambs except for the Premier Sale, the order for which shall be: (1) Shearling ewes; (2) Ewe lambs; (3) Shearling and Older rams; (4) Ram lambs.
  1. The feeding of cabbage is forbidden at all sales.
  1. Minimum weight: Ram Lambs – 55kgs; Shearling Rams – 90kgs(Premier Sale); 85kgs (all other sales); Ewe Lambs – 50kgs; Shearling Ewes – 70 kgs. The first weight recorded will be the actual weight. No sheep will be reweighed.
  1. Number of Entries per Breeder:

Premier Sale:

(a)Rams – a breeder with a flock designator independent to any other Texel flock may enter one ram (shearling or lamb) for the first five ewes mated. Further sale entitlements is determined by the number of ewes mated notified to the Society by 31st December of the previous year. This is subject to a maximum of ten (10) rams per breeder. This figure will vary from year to year and is determined by the total number of entries received for the required amount of lots to conduct the sale.

(b) Ewes – Shearling ewes and ewe lambs are entered for sales on the same basis as rams, except that the breeder can only enter half his or her allocation of ewes to rams. For clarification; If a breeder is entitled to enter 2 rams then 1 female can also be entered. Five to be the maximum number of females for any one breeder.

This allocation may vary from year to year and numbers will be adjusted depending on entries to arrive at the number required for the sale. Entries are accepted on the understanding that entries may be reduced as appropriate. Council reserves the right to reduce or accept entries on the basis of filling a sale quota or to facilitate obtaining the required amount of lots required to conduct the sale. All entries must be numbered in your order of preference for sale; for clarification, your best lamb should be number 1 etc. Entries for sales received without a preference numbering will be automatically reduced from the bottom of the sheet as is necessary. This applies to male and female entries.

  1. There will be a maximum of two ballots per class. Breeders with two or more entries will have them divided equally into two ballots. Breeders with 3 entries will have them divided equally into two ballots with any odd number being entered in the first ballot. This system will be used irrespective of the number of entries per breeder, to the maximum number of entries allowed for any breeder to the sale.
  1. The Female Champion and Reserve Female Champion shall be sold after Lot 20 in the Sale provided that it does not split an Exhibitor’s ballot. Where this occurs, the Female Champion and Reserve Champion shall be sold after this Exhibitor’s ballot.

The Male Champion and Reserve Male Champion shall be sold after the first twenty lots in the Ram Lambs, First Ballot. The same conditions apply as above if an Exhibitor’s Ballot is split.

  1. A commission fee is payable to the auctioneer at a rate of 5% on ewes withdrawn or unsold from the sale after being bid to €1,500 or above, this also applies to rams withdrawn or unsold from the sale after being bid to €2,000 or above. The auctioneer will reserve the right to obtain any fees outstanding.
  1. Other Sales:

(a) Rams: a breeder may enter one ram for 1 – 15 ewes mated the previous autumn, 2 rams for 16 – 31 ewes mated, 3 rams for 32 – 47 ewes mated up to a maximum of 4 rams for 48 ewes mated.

(b) Ewes – Shearling ewes and ewe lambs on the same basis as rams, except that a breeder can only enter half the number of ewes as rams. Three to be the maximum number of females for any one breeder.