PLANS FOR THE NEW POULTRY REGISTRATION PROCESS

Members will be aware that we are in the process of creating a poultry registration process in Australia. A small committee of members, Megg Miller, Bruce Pattinson and myself have been working on a draft proposal to put to the Board as soon as possible.

Below is the latest draft of our plans for members feedback and consideration. We need you to tell us how it will or will not work. We have some reservations about the willingness of poultry breeders to be involved, but we believe it should have appeal to those who have serious concerns about the genetic integrity of birds they breed and buy. We would also like some feedback on when birds should have leg rings applied. Permanent rings would normally need to be put on when birds are under 3 months of age. Is this realistic?

We ask for your views, please. Send them to aaadair@gmail.com

DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR SETTING UP THE AUSTRALIAN POULTRY REGISTER (APR)

The APR is established to register purebred poultry in Australia, which exhibit genetic integrity in their breeding. Genetic Integrity is taken to mean that the birds are from a recognized breed and strain of purebred and that they have been bred without out-crossing to any other breeds or strains for at least the last 40 years. Establishing the genetic integrity of a strain will be the responsibility of the breeder or owner who registers the specific birds and can be done by way of a Statutory Declaration accompanied by original or certified supporting documentation. Only when the APR is satisfied that the strain has genetic integrity will birds of that strain be registered.

It is believed that the register will appeal to those breeders who are breeding commercial poultry and who require the presence of specific breed characteristics in their flocks and to exhibitors who want some guarantee that birds they purchase will breed true to type.

The APR will decide the codes, ring types and ring colors used for its registration scheme and may change these from time to time.

The fact that a bird is wearing a ring is no certainty that it is a registered bird. Bona fide registration is verifiable by an accompanying Registration Certificate. Separate registration certificates are required for each separate breed registered. A range of ring numbers will be indicated on each registration certificate. When birds are sold, a copy of the original registration certificate certified by the registered breeder will serve as proof of ownership. When registering new birds, such certified registration certificates must be provided with registration application papers for new breeders to be registered.

Code
Bird Code(12 digit / letter placement used) Digit sequence1 -3: APR (Australian Poultry Register)4-5: Year 04 = 20046-12: number of bird for recognitione.g.,APR040000001 Note: This is a split ring. Rings issued under this scheme will be closed rings of similar type.

Costing
Registering a Strain of a Breed First time only Nil
Registering a Breeder First time only $10
Registering a bird including ring cost per bird $3
Re-issue of a Registration Certificate per Group of birds $5
Registering a range of birds to a new owner and re-issuing a new Registration Certificate per Group of birds $7

Responsibilities of Registering Breeder
1. Breeders will either submit their registration details for the birds to be registered indicating that the birds are a recognized strain of their own (and a Statutory Declaration must then be submitted with the application indicating that the birds to be registered are directly descended from a strain of bird which was purebred to begin with and which has remained purebred for the past 40 years without out-crossing to any other strains or breeds). Failing this breeders will indicate the registration numbers of birds which are parents (both Male and Female) of the birds being registered.
2. Payment of the required registration fees to APR.
3. Return unused rings.

Responsibilities of Registering Body
1. To establish and maintain an Australian Poultry Database.
2. To ensure that birds being registered have genetic integrity and that they comply with the requirements of the RBTA for recognition as a purebred.
3. To issue Registration Certificates for registered birds
4. To produce and publish both on its website and in print form an Annual Poultry Stud Book of Australian purebred poultry. A copy of each Annual Poultry Stud Book will be sent free of charge to all state libraries.
5. To check the veracity of submitted registration material from breeders. Where records have been falsified or are inaccurate, birds may be de-registered.

Benefits of Registering
1. Recognition in the Annual Poultry Stud Book of the birds registered.
2. Promotion of Registered Breeders and their birds on the Registering Body’s Website, on the RBTA Website and in RBTA publications.
3. Priority selection of such birds for use in RBTA displays and events.
4. Details about registered breeds with genetic integrity are available in the Annual Poultry Stud Book.

How it will work
1. Breeder decides to register birds and contacts APR for a registration form
2. Breeder returns application form for registering birds and a completed Statutory Declaration if birds have not been previously registered.
3. APR Database Registrar (DR) checks and issues codes for registration.
4. DR enters bird details into APR Data Base and prints registration papers.
5. DR sends Registration details to bird Ring Makers with request for supply on the required number of rings and the ring numbering details.
6. Rings are received and checked.
7. Rings and Registration Papers are sent to Breeder.
8. Breeders who sell birds may certify a copy of the original registration papers as proof of ownership to new owners.
9. Breeder puts rings on the designated birds and sends back verification slip when this is completed. Unused rings are returned to APR and destroyed or reissued as the registrar sees fit. If this occurs, new Registration Certificates will be issued free of charge with the new registration numbers indicated. A refund of 1/3 of the bird registration fee will be issued where returned rings can be re-issued to other owners.
10. Bird database records are certified as verified.
11. The Annual Poultry Stud Book is produced from the verified records for the current year.
12. The Annual Poultry Stud Book is published.
13. Certified copies of Registration Certificates may only be made of original Certificates, which carry the APR registrar’s original signature.

Below is a Sample Registration Certificate - Australian Poultry Register

Registration Certificate 2005

This is to certify that

………………………………………………………….. (Name)

of

………………………………………………………………(Address)

is the owner and / or breeder of the group of pure bred poultry of the

………………………..species and the ……………………………………….breed

and of the recognized …………………………… strain.

Birds in this group will be ringed with a purple metal ring bearing ring identification numbers in the range of APR040000001 to APR040000100 inclusive.

Parent birds of this Group of birds are in the range of

Male parents……………………………………

Female Parents…………………………………

Certified this day: 00/00/05

APR Registrar Signature …………………………………… (Joe Bloggs)

A certified copy of this certificate may be issued to purchasers of the above birds provided that the current owner’s signature appears below along with the registration numbers of birds sold.

Registered Owners Signature……………………………… Date …../…../…..

Registration numbers of birds sold to new owner

……………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………….

Name and address of new owner ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Note: The above recorded new owner must re-register the above birds in his / her own name before offspring from the purchased birds can be registered or sold.

Last updated 6 January, 2005