BREED STANDARDS AND REGISTRATION PROCEDURE FOR BELTED GALLOWAYS
Note: The Society will enter into the breeding book, animals of the same breed, line or cross that are eligible for entry under the Society’s breed criteria, without discrimination on account of their country of origin.
BREED STANDARDS
General
1) All cattle should be of good Galloway type, not too small in stature and well fleshed.
2) Locomotion should be correct, with clean legs and hocks and a level back.
3) The forehead should be wide, but not too long from eye to muzzle. Nostrils should be wide and ears forward-pointing.
4) The mouth should be wide and not undershot.
Females
1) To qualify for full pedigree registration the belt must be complete all the way around the body, and preferably extend no further forward than the shoulder and no further back than the front of the hind leg. It should have no spots of coloured hair within it, although areas of pigmented skin underneath the white hair are acceptable.
2) Females with an incomplete belt or spots within the belt may be registered in the AA appendix. A suffix (IB) will be added to their herd book number so that the reason for her appendix status will appear on her certificate and in the herd book.
3) There must be no white hair anywhere else on the body, except for females with white hair on the foot below the dew claw or white horn on the hoof. These may be admitted into the AA appendix and will have the suffix (WF) added to their herd book number in order to identify them in the certificate and the herd book.
Females with white hair above the dew claw are not eligible for registration.
Bulls
1) Bulls must have a complete belt all the way around the body. No bulls with an incomplete belt can be registered.
2) The belt should extend no further forward than the shoulder and no further back than the front of the hind leg.
3) No white is permissible anywhere else on the body of a bull.
4) There must be no spots of coloured hair on the top or the sides of the belt. Spots of pigmented skin within the belt are acceptable provided that the hair growing from them is white.
Note: Any situations not covered by these rules can be referred to Council for determination and any decisions taken by Council shall be final.
REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
There are two stages to registering a Belted Galloway:-
1) Birth notification
This is a means of building up a picture of numbers being born to the national herd, and has essential benefits to breeders in certain circumstances. The birth certificate allows breeders to prove that the calf, although it has not been fully registered, has been born to registered parents. This can be useful in situations where environmental stewardship payments require proof of breeding; where a disease breakdown requires the slaughter of stock which has yet to be registered; and where farmers market their own beef and need proof of its provenance for labelling purposes.
The birth of all calves to registered mothers should be notified to the Society within two months of being born, irrespective of sex, whether they are castrated or are not intended to be fully registered later. Birth notifications will be free of charge and no certificates will be issued unless the breeder requests one, in which case the appropriate fee will be payable. Still births and post-natal deaths should be notified, and these do not attract a fee.
Notification forms are available from the secretary or can be downloaded from the Society’s website. Births can also be notified online using the Society’s Grassroots software.
Pedigree registration
General:-
a) Only the progeny of two registered parents may enter the herd book. Offspring of an unregistered female may not be registered, even in the appendix system.
b) Calves must be registered by the breeder on whose farm they were born and must bear the herd prefix of that farm.
c) If a calf is sold at foot it is the responsibility of the breeder to register the calf before it is sold. In the case of a bull calf which the buyer may wish to register at a later date the breeder’s consent must be obtained in the form of a signature on the registration form.
d) All registrations must include the name of the animal; its official ear tag number; date of birth; names of the sire and dam, together with their herd book numbers; the colour of the hair and any mis-markings such as white feet, broken belts or spots within the belt. Forms are available from the Secretary or may be downloaded from the Society’s website.
e) By applying for registration the breeder certifies that the animal conforms to the standards laid out herein. The Society reserves the right to inspect any animal, its ancestors or its offspring and if an animal is found not to conform to these standards the Society reserves the right to re-register it in another category or to de-register it completely. Council may apply sanctions to a member who it considers is deliberately in breach of these standards.
Females
a) If a female has a white foot below the dew claw, an incomplete belt or spots within the belt these must be clearly indicated in the appropriate section of the registration form. She may only be registered in the AA appendix.
b) Heifer calves should be registered before 12 months of age. Registrations after that age will be charged at double rate.
Bulls
The procedure for registering bulls is more stringent due to the greater influence a bull may exercise over the breed compared to a female.
a) Bulls should ideally be registered between 12 and 24 months of age. Registrations before that age may be carried out at the discretion of the Society, but registrations after 24 months old will attract double fees.
b) Bulls must be the progeny of two fully pedigreed parents (i.e. not an appendix female), must have a complete belt with no spots of coloured hair visible on the top or the sides of the belt, and no white anywhere else on the body.
c) All bulls must be inspected by a member of the Society’s panel before they can be registered. Breeders should apply to the Secretary for an inspection, and the inspector will contact the breeder to make an appointment. The inspector will bring the necessary paperwork and D.N.A. sampling kit. Bulls will be inspected for markings, locomotion, correct feet and temperament. Ideally the inspector should be able to see the parents of the bull to be inspected or their pedigree certificates.
d) At the inspection a sample of hair will be plucked from the bull’s tail which will be sent off for D.N.A. analysis. The results of the sample are kept on file in case of future queries over parentage.
e) If the bull passes the inspection the registration forms and the D.N.A. sample are returned to the Secretary for processing.
f) In the event of a bull failing its inspection an appeal procedure may be used. This involves two other members of the Society’s panel inspecting the bull, thereby ensuring a majority decision. The result of the appeal will be final. If the original decision is upheld the breeder must also pay the cost of the appeal inspection, however if the original decision is overturned the second inspection fee will be waived.
APPENDIX REGISTRATION
N.B. The appendix system exists for three purposes only – 1) to allow females which have a pedigree Black, Dun or Red Galloway parent to be graded up; 2) to allow females with an incomplete belt or spots within the belt to be registered; and 3) to allow females with a white foot below the dew claw to be graded up.
The appendix system is not for grading up the progeny of an unregistered cow. These cannot be registered.
Bulls are not eligible for appendix registration. With the exception of a white foot below the dew claw, an incomplete belt or spots within the belt heifers must adhere to all the breed standards noted above.
White Galloways and Riggit Galloways are not permitted for the breeding of Belted Galloways, even in the appendix scheme.
Appendix AA
a) Heifers which have one pedigree black, dun or red Belted Galloway parent, the other being a pedigree Black, Dun or Red Galloway which is registered with the Galloway Cattle Society, may enter appendix AA. She must be properly marked and conform to correct Belted Galloway type. Proof of the parent’s registration with the Galloway Cattle Society must be sent to the Secretary. Heifers which have a Black, Dun or Red Galloway parent will have the suffix (BL) added to their herd book number.
b) A heifer calf born to two fully pedigreed Belted Galloway parents which has a white foot below the dew claw or white horn on her hoof may also enter Appendix AA. She must conform to correct Belted Galloway type. These heifers will have the suffix (WF) added to their herd book number.
c) A heifer which has an incomplete belt or spots within the belt may be registered in the AA appendix. She must conform to correct Belted Galloway type and will have the suffix (IB) added to her herd book number.
Appendix A
A heifer calf born to an appendix AA dam and a registered pedigree Belted Galloway sire may enter appendix A provided she complies with the breed standards for a fully registered female noted above, i.e. she does not have an incomplete belt, spots within the belt or white on her feet.
Appendix B
A heifer calf born to an appendix A dam and a registered pedigree Belted Galloway sire may enter appendix B provided she complies with the breed standards for a fully registered female noted above, i.e. she does not have an incomplete belt, spots within the belt or white on her feet.
A heifer calf born to an appendix B dam and a registered pedigree Belted Galloway sire may become fully registered provided she complies with the breed standards noted above.
TRANSFERS
These rules were updated at the Council meeting on 21st January 2015.
When animals change ownership it is the responsibility of the vendor to inform the Society and to return the pedigree certificate to the Secretary. A new certificate is then issued showing the details of the new owner. The vendor is responsible for paying the transfer fee (currently £12.00 including V.A.T.). If the vendor does not wish the animal to be used for breeding after leaving his or her farm the vendor must inform the Secretary and return the pedigree certificate. The animal will then be marked as not for breeding and no offspring from the animal can be registered in future.
It is important to keep transfers up to date so that members’ records accurately reflect the cattle in their herd. This is particularly true when carrying out online registrations. Occasionally transfers are not notified to the Society so Council has decided that birth notifications and registrations of calves born to dams who were themselves born after 1st January 2010 will not be processed if the dam is in the wrong ownership. The existing owner will have to pay the transfer fee before any calves can be processed.
ONLINE NOTIFICATIONS AND REGISTRATIONS
It is possible for breeders to carry out birth notifications and registrations online, as well as a number of other functions such as amending their details or notifying the Society of transfers. There are certain advantages to online access such as cutting down on paperwork. Birth notifications performed online are free of charge and no birth certificate will be issued unless specifically requested by the breeder. In this case the current fee will apply and will be deducted from the subsequent registration. When a breeder performs some online actions the Secretary is automatically informed and checks the submissions before updating the database. This ensures that the breeder cannot accidently alter anything in the Society’s records. Once the data is checked invoices are sent out as appropriate. Members are requested not to submit payment until their entries have been checked and processed.
In order to carry out online functions it is necessary to gain access to the Society’s Grassroots database using the membership number and access code issued to all members. Go to the Grassroots page and follow the instructions there.