Joint meeting March 25th Agenda

Transcription

1 Joint meeting March 25th ,15am-4pm At the hotel GOLDEN TULIP BRUSSELS AIRPORT Bessenveldstraat Diegem - Belgium T. +32 (0) F. +32 (0) Present: Excused: Thomas Nissen, Klaus Miesner, Johan Knaap, Daniëlle Arts, Paul Hubert, Xavier Guibert (for the items 4, 6, and 10 discussed at the beginning of the meeting), Rik van Miert, Rudi Eerdekens, Alison Corbally, Jan Pedersen, Karina Christiansen, and Christina Brogaard Lund (ref.) Siem Korver, Jim Flanagan Agenda 1) Approval of minutes joint meeting on September 27 th 2010 in Malvern (# encl. 1) 2) Next GA a) Overall program (# enclosure 2) b) Agenda for General Assembly (# enclosure 5) c) Suggestions for further topics and speakers 3) Members: Associate membership application Continental Studbook (# enclosure 6) 4) EU matters (# enclosures 7-8) a) Recent meetings and development b) Sale of Goods Act 5) Rankings and alternative rankings 6) The horse s affiliations to one or another studbook 7) Sponsors, sponsorwork 8) Support of International Young Breeders (#enclosure 4) 9) Harmonization of X-ray pictures and diagnosis 10) Report of the work on data-exchange until now (# enclosure 10) 11) Growing Chinese horse sector needs information 12) Annual Plan (# enclosure 3) 13) Budget 2011 (# enclosure 9) 14) A.O.B Minutes: 1. Approval of minutes joint meeting on September 27 th 2010 in Malvern The minutes were approved. 1

2 2. Next GA a. Overall program (See enclosure 2) The proposed programme for Sevilla in October 2011 was evaluated. There was a wish for a WHIRDEC meeting in the afternoon on either October 24 th or 26 th. b. Agenda for General Assembly (See enclosure 5) The proposed agenda was approved. c. Suggestions for further topics and speakers In order to keep focus on our annual plan, it was proposed that we bring in items on animal welfare and health, like preventing further spread of African Horse Sickness or other relevant diseases. Recently in Greece, a new big outbreak of African Horse Sickness caused the death of at least 6 stallions. Regarding welfare, many topics could be interesting, for instance the coming welfare rules; we should aim for achieving future visions around what is going to happen, who is influencing, is our sector with high-performance horse breeding relevant in years of time? - etc. On the ethics part, the Danish philosophy professor, Peter Sandøe, could be relevant again, and Füssel and a Spanish equine expert could be asked to bring in their views from the legislative and welfare in performance horses in Spain respectively. Dennis Simonie from Copa-Cogeca should be invited as a speaker. Furthermore, HRH Princess Haya, should be invited to come and speak at our GA. 3. Members: Associate membership application Continental Studbook See enclosure 6 for details on the applying studbook. The Continental Studbook was approved as an associate studbook of the WBFSH. 4. EU matters a. Recent meetings and development See enclosures 7-8 regarding Copa-Cogeca and European Horse Network developments and correspondence. Very important and strongly limiting legislation from the EU, currently being worked on, could be disastrous to the whole of our trade. We need to stay in contact with our respective ministries, stay informed and keep informing them of the needs and requirements of the sport horse sector. The German stallion owners are appalled with the new AI legislation from the EU and are thinking about retiring from exporting semen due to the increasing bureaucracy in packing and sending the semen across borders. If the same laws apply in the other EU countries, there was a wish to help the stallion owners to influence on how to 2

3 decrease the administration in this area. The studbooks were not even informed of these adjustments on beforehand this time. Two Danish and German veterinarian consultants will get in contact to find a solution that could bring down administrative checks and yet be edible for the European Commission. It seems that in Belgium they had not been forced to make these extra checks on the semen at their stallion stations maybe because they do not have the same CEM problem as seen in Germany and elsewhere. There is still a possibility that we can get this item on the Green book discussion in the EU. b. Sale of Goods Act In Denmark, a voluntary arbitration is established and a free contract for the use of seller and buyer in horse deals has been made. This contract submits any disputes to this arbitration, manned by equine experts, and with a lawyer as a judge. Each court case can only take a maximum of 6 months, then it is solved. The court case cannot be appealed. By Mid April the contract will be produced in English, and the Danish Warmblood Society will be happy to send the contract and line-up when ready. The Netherlands lost the EU court case on continued reduced VAT rate on agricultural sector, so this is expected to happen with the other countries involved as well. The hope for our sector could be that the whole of the sport horse breeding industry within the EU could get a common reduced VAT rate, and we should keep an eye on the green book evolution. 5. Rankings and alternative rankings So far the FEI/WBFSH rankings have never been a breeding evaluation or a scientific research. It is more like how the media make the rankings of Olympic medals between nations a medal mirror that does not take into account how big or rich a country is but just measuring who makes most top results. To try to assume the number of dressage- and jumper foals born in each studbook per year would never be anything but an assumption years ago there were no studbooks who separated their foals and breedstock in dressage- or jumping programmes. The Interstallion pilot project on an alternative ranking system some years ago suggested the use of an average of foal numbers between 9-13 years before the actual year of ranking, but that would still be inaccurate. An inaccurate estimation 1-5% wrong to either side would give a totally different picture, so this kind of calculation is too sensible towards small inaccuracies. The numbers used have to correct, or else rankings have no future. Our present ranking system is based on accurate numbers and nothing else, and Jac Remijnse s ranking in the Horse Genetics magazine is based on a number of estimations that are not objective and holding incorrect numbers. An article explaining this will be produced and published as soon as possible in a newsletter and our website. 3

4 The same conditions apply for the stallion rankings; though the rankings carry an object of competition, they are not a scientific result, but a good indicator of current high-level performances. It was suggested that the WBFSH could introduce a new alternative to the annual studbook-prizes, since now where the Hanoverian dominance has been broken, it seems that we may face a new, longer period with little variance in the top studbooks in the various FEI/WBFSH ranking disciplines. A young-horse studbook ranking would not be feasible, because national competition performances cannot be compared; in Verden, Zangersheide, and Le Lion D Angers the countries have different quotas, and there are many wildcards in Zangersheide as well as Le Lion D Angers. 6. The horse s affiliations to one or another studbook Our regulation is very clear as to when a horse counts for which studbook. The international showjumper Cedric was sold as a young horse to the Netherlands and was not originally registered in Holstein, where it was born. Everybody assumed that it was a KWPN, but it was not. It now figures without studbook affiliations in the rankings and will stay so. 7. Sponsors, sponsorwork All-Tech is a multinational company producing animal nutrition and feed supplements and is already a partner of FEI. It is familiar with the sporting world, but not the breeding world yet. In March 2011, Xavier Libbrecht brought Christina Lombard, the All-Tech Communications Manager Europe & Asia-Pacific, to the National Stallion Show in Herning, Denmark, to introduce her to the breeding world. We will soon have a meeting with Patrick Charlton, European Regional Director, in Billlund concerning a cooperation with the WBFSH. HKM is interested in sponsoring gifts, like jackets and blankets, and the possibility of making a link to a special WBFSH-webshop at their server was proposed. We will have a meeting and make a draft contract in the near future. 8. International Young Breeders a) Young Breeders International Inken Gräfin von Platen-Hallermund from the IYB sent an informing about the present development in the organisation and asked how much money they could expect in support from the WBFSH this year. If All-Tech becomes our new main sponsor, there is a good possibility in helping the YBI further, but for now it was agreed that we grant them this solution: Every year, 2.000,00 as support and 1.000,00 to maintain and host the website. The money will be paid after the presentation and acceptance of invoices (the WBFSH pays the invoices). This money cannot be used for holding meetings, though. Every second year, the budget allows 3.500,00 for the organiser of the competition. b) Young Breeders International Competition in France

5 The international competition will take place in Chazey sur Ain, France on July 22nd- 23rd, with sightseeing possiblities on 24th-25th. The accomodation is tents. The sightseeing is planned to be one day with emphasis on horses and one day with wine and touristic sightseeing. 9. Harmonization of X-ray pictures and diagnosis There is a growing need for harmonization regarding which radiographic angles to claim, the diagnosis and how to categorize radiographic pictures of horse limbs. Harmonization in this area will be hard, since even between countries, studbooks, and veterinarians there are big differences in how this is dealt with. An already existing world-wide cooperation between equine veterinarians could be involved in producing a set of regulations on the above. A Danish and a German veterinarian who are already cooperating for instance on viewing the young Danish stallions for selection, could be asked to join the working group. If at least the studbooks in future would require the same joints and angles, it would be easier, but by now, some studbooks also require ultrasound pictures. A focus on fysically and easily measured aspects along with an agreement among leading equine vets as to what is OCD and not, etc., could be a way to start. It was suggested that this could be a subject to a pre-item at the General Assembly in Sevilla, by inviting a leading radiographic expert veterinarian. We will take contact to a contact in the world-wide vet cooperation, to hear if he would like to come to Sevilla. 10. Report of the work on data-exchange until now See enclosure 10. There is new hope in the future exchange of data between studbooks, NF s and the FEI, since the French IT-head of the former Haras nationaux (now IFCE), Benoit Christians is now the head of the FEI s IT department. We should arrange a meeting with Benoit Christians soonest possible. The FEI is now rebuilding their IT department again. The NF s want to be sure that the FEI does not build a parallel information system. 2 solutions can be used. One of the solutions give the NF s the continued ownership on riders and horses performances on international level. A WHIRDEC meeting is settled for the CSIO at La Baule in Mid May with a small group, and then in Sevilla on October 24 th or 27 th. A representative from the EEF should be invited for these meetings, for instance Hanfried Haring would be optimal. The implementation of UELN must be followed and pushed by the WBFSH continuously. The US members have asked for help to inform the NF and to promote the system. 5

6 11. Growing Chinese horse sector needs information Generally in Asia, there are no organised breeding societies. They continue to ask for more information on our work. In China, one big horse magazine is available, it is thick, looks exclusive, and reveals big and nice photos, the texts are in Chinese, though. It is called Horsemanship China, and their editor will be put on our list. They want to publish more about sport horse breeding. It was decided that they could be invited to participate at our annual meetings in Sevilla. We will write a letter to the Chinese contact person. 12. Annual Plan The annual plan for 2012 will be discussed at the July meeting in Amsterdam. 13. A.O.B Regarding the World Breeding Championships for Young Jumping Horses in Zangersheide, it is a problem that the WBFSH is totally invisible on the showgrounds. There are no flags, flyers, logos in catalogue, etc. Their hospitality is great, the show is great, but our organisation is not visible at all. We cannot even present the awards at the prize giving ceremony. It is not acceptable that we have to send them afterwards. A newsletter should be written even though it may not have any effect. A cancellation of the contract is not likely to happen. The quota list for the WBCYH must be gone through and revised again this year. In Verden, the organisers experience an increase in the demand for wildcards from the new sport horse countries. The present situation around the Verden propositions and the coming adjustments was clarified. Next joint meeting of Board and executive committee will be in Amsterdam airport area on July 7 th 8 th, Vilhelsmborg, May 6 th