Hereford House in Herefordshire
(the original headquarters of the
first Secretary-General)
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MEMBERSHIP
1. The name of the Association is "The World Hereford Council".
2. The object for which the Council is established is:
"To preserve, and improve, in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, the inherited
constitution, purity and docility of the breed of cattle known as Herefords
which has enabled it to thrive in extreme climatic and feeding conditions throughout
its history."
3. Eligibility for Membership:
(a) An Association or Society being the Registration Authority of a country
recognized as a Registration Authority by the World Hereford Council; or
(b) An Association or Society in any country which, although not the
Registration Authority, is the sole representative of Hereford cattle in that
country; or
(c) An Association or Society in a country whose records are maintained
by an Association or Society in another country.
Note:
An Association or Society representing a minority or special interest of Hereford
Breeders will not normally be considered for membership.
4. Method of application:
(a) Application for the recognition of a Hereford Association or Society,
to the World Council must be accompanied by a signed and sealed statement by
a duly authorized member of the Association or Society showing the origin of
the cattle registered in the records, the date on which the Register or Herd
Book was closed to unrecorded stock and clear undertaking to keep the Register
or Herd Book closed in the future. This statement should be accompanied by a
certified copy of the Rules together with the registration procedures.
(b) Where the Association or Society does not own or manage the existing
Hereford record in that country, a statement referring to the record must be
duly authorized by the recording authority.
(c) The application must be proposed and seconded by existing members
and elected by a three-quarters vote.
5. Subscriptions:
Subscriptions shall be paid annually in advance on January 1st to the Secretary-General,
at the World Hereford Council headquarters. The subscription rate shall be in
accordance with that determined periodically by the Council. Payments shall
be made in sterling. Subscriptions shall be due and be payable for the year
in which any member country is elected. Unpaid subscriptions shall be reported
by the Secretary General to the Council who shall act as they think fit.
6. Accounts:
The accounts of the World Hereford Council shall be kept at the Headquarters
and shall be administered by the Secretary General. The financial year will
be from January 1st to December 31st. The accounts will be audited prior to
each Conference and a Statement of Accounts presented at each Conference. At
every Conference an Auditor shall be appointed for the ensuing period until
the next Conference.
7. Payments:
The funds of this Council shall be utilized for expenditure incurred by the
Secretary General in conducting affairs of the Council and also in payment of
any other accounts at the discretion of the Council. The expenses of the Secretary
General for attending Conferences shall be a direct charge on the funds.
CONFERENCES
8. Interval and Venue:
At each Conference the year and venue of the next Conference shall be decided.
9. Representation:
Each full member shall be entitled to have two representatives at each Conference
and may also have in attendance at any one time one advisor and/or interpreter.
10. Session:
Sessions shall be either open or closed.
11. Chairman:
The Chairman of each Conference shall be selected by the host member country
but shall not be entitled to have voting powers. The Chairman of the host country
shall remain in office as titular head of the Council until the succeeding Chairman
of the host country is appointed.
12. Voting:
Voting to be on a country basis, each country to be entitled to four votes.
In the case of a country that has two separate Associations the four votes will
be shared between them.
13. Resolutions:
Resolutions shall be decided by a majority vote with the exception of and amendment
to the Constitution and Rules which shall require a two-thirds majority. Any
decision reached shall take effect immediately, unless the Council decides that
ratification by the Councils of the individual member Associations or Societies
is necessary. In the latter event notification or otherwise shall be communicated
to the Secretary General within 12 months of the Conference in question.
14. Committees:
The Council may appoint Committees for any specific purpose and such Committee
shall be disbanded at the conclusion of each Conference. Committees may include
Observers at the discretion of the Council. They shall appoint their own Chairman
and any decisions made must be passed by a majority vote of the Council. Voting
shall be on the basis on one vote per committee member.
15. Co-option:
The Council may co-opt any outside person or bodies for attendance in an advisory
capacity at any Conference as considered necessary.
BY-LAWS
16. Pedigree Records:
(a) Each Society shall reserve the right to divide their Registers or
Herd Books into separate Hereford and Poll Hereford sections, provided that
Hereford and Poll Hereford cattle from other countries be permitted to enter
the Hereford and Poll Hereford section of such a Register or Herd Book respectively.
(b) Cattle covered by export certificates issued by members of the World
Hereford Council and fully registered in a Hereford Herd Book must be honoured
and accepted in the recognized Herd Books of all other participating member
Countries.
(c) The Secretary General shall receive prior notice of any fundamental
change in the registration procedure of a member of the Council, together with
an account of the registration procedure to be adopted, and a copy of the Rules.
The Secretary General shall ensure that the change accords with the requirements
for the immediate continuation of International Reciprocal Registration and
will report the change to the subsequent Conference. If the Secretary General
is not satisfied that the requirements have been fulfilled International Reciprocal
Registration shall be suspended until the full council has considered the subject.
(d) In the event of any change in the Registration Authority of a member
of the Council prior notice must be given to the Secretary General together
with an account of the registration procedure to be adopted, and a copy of the
Rules. The Secretary General shall ensure that the change accords with the requirements
for the immediate continuation of International Reciprocal Registration and
will report the change to the subsequent Conference. If the Secretary General
is not satisfied that the requirements have been fulfilled, International Reciprocal
Registrations shall be suspended until the full Council has considered the subject.
(e) That the World Hereford Council rules incorporate a requirement that
before an imported animal can be registered with the Breed Authority in a new
country an export certificate for that animal must be issued by the Breed Registration
Authority of the country from which an animal is exported and lodged with the
Breed Authority in the importing Country.
17. Genetic Abnormalities:
Members shall be permitted to impose regulations requiring certificates of freedom
from known and identifiable genetic lethal abnormalities, and specifically dwarfism,
for animals intended for importation and will be expected to accept the assurances
of the country of origin. These certificates will also be extended to the Association
or Society of the importing Country.
18. Embryo(s)/Semen:
The World Hereford Council encourages the international exchange of genetic
material from purebred Herefords between members of the World Hereford Council.
(a) When embryo(s) /semen are imported for pedigree purposes an export
certificate shall be issued by the Hereford Society or Association of the exporting
country, in accordance with the documentation required by the importing Society
or Association.
(b) Animals resulting from embryo(s) /semen imported from member countries
shall be registered by the importing country in accordance with their rules
regarding purebred animals born in their country.
(c) The Association or Society registering the resulting animal may require,
in addition to the export certificate, certified copies of the foreign blood
type reports, in order that the resulting animal's parentage can be verified
by means of blood typing.
POWERS OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL
19. Powers and Duties of the Secretary General:
(a) The Secretary General shall be appointed by the World Hereford Council.
(b) The Secretary General, as the duly authorized representative of the
World Hereford Council, shall be empowered to inspect, at any time, the records
of any member of the Council for the purpose of ensuring that the registration
procedure of the member is in accordance with the foregoing Rules. In the event
of default the Secretary General shall inform the member concerned of the nature
of the breach of the Rules and shall forward a report thereon. Such member shall
be invited to submit any written explanation to the subsequent meeting of the
Council who shall take such action as they think fit.
What does the Secretary General do? Click here to find out.
POWERS
OF COUNCIL
20. Removal of Members:
The Council shall be empowered to remove any member whose conduct shall be,
in their opinion, derogatory and prejudicial to the interests of the World Hereford
Council or does not conform to the Rules.
21. Settlement of Disputes:
Any case of dispute referred to the Council for arbitration and settlement shall
be dealt with in accordance with the following procedure:
(a) At least six months before the Conference at which the dispute is
to be discussed, a statement in writing shall be sent to the Secretary General
setting forth all the facts in dispute and the contentions of the respective
parties. The facts of the dispute, together with all signed statements, shall
be presented to the Council who shall be empowered to proceed in any manner
they consider necessary. The final decision of the Council shall be final and
binding.
(b) The Council shall not arbitrate upon any dispute unless all parties
of such dispute have singed an undertaking to accept the decision of the Council
which will be final and binding and it shall be competent for the Council, in
the arbitration proceedings and to award payment thereof.
22. Amendment to Rules:
(a) Any proposed amendments to the Constitution and Rules must be submitted
in writing to the Secretary General to enable the proposition to be circulated
at least twelve months before the Conference at which it is to be presented.
(b) No amendments to the Constitution and Rules shall be made which shall
cause the Council to cease to be a Charity according to the law of England and
Wales.
23. Dissolution of the Council:
If upon the winding up or dissolution of the Council there remains, after satisfaction
of its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever the same shall be given
or transferred to some other charitable Institution or Institutions having objects
similar to the objects of the Council, or for such other charitable purposes
for the improvement of agriculture, as may be determined by the Members of the
Council on, or before the time of dissolution.
What does the Secretary General do?
This is a question I have been asked many times and I must admit the role has always been a little vague for most of us. The World Hereford Council exists to promote Hereford breed excellence and to encourage world-wide trade of Hereford genetics. It all began in 1951 when there was concern that some Herefords being traded between countries were not directly traceable to the English Herd Book. A meeting was convened in Hereford, England on July 13th 1951 and the New Zealand representative at that meeting was Mr. R. Mead from Wakefield in Nelson.
The three items on the agenda were the international pedigree Hereford registration and acceptance, the international veterinary conference and the formation of a permanent council of world Hereford breed societies and associations. The meeting decided to form a permanent council to be known as the World Hereford Council. The object of the World Hereford Council was, and still is, the promotion of the interests of the Hereford breed throughout the world and to provide a medium for the settlement of any problems that may arise between member countries. The headquarters of such council was to be situated at the Hereford Herd Book Society, Great Britain.
In 1956 the World Hereford Council met in Buenos Aires and one of the topics was the universal standardization of veterinary tests between exporting and importing countries. This is one subject that has never been resolved by Council and probably never will be as health requirements and regulations varied between all countries and altered frequently in those days and the situation remains the same today.
A general policy for polled and horned Hereford cattle was a big issue at that conference and our representatives at that meeting were Mr. G. Speedy and Mr. F. Humphreys. Polled Hereford cattle numbers were increasing rapidly at that time and their acceptance was the subject of a lengthy debate. Mr. Humphreys' perseverance, patience and diplomacy was largely responsible for an amicable outcome which was that both horned and polled Hereford cattle should be considered as one breed. For the sake of easy reference, however, it was recommended that both horned and polled Herefords be designated separately in the records of the member countries, leaving the method of action in the hands of the societies concerned.
At that time it was assumed that the Secretary of the Hereford Herd Book Society would act as the Secretary for the World Hereford Council and any expenses incurred would be paid by member countries. At succeeding conferences the role of the Secretary altered and the title for the position became Secretary General of the World Hereford Council. Mr. Tony Morrison of England was the first Secretary General and his counsel on Hereford matters was greatly respected by Hereford breeders from all parts of the world. Gradually rules and regulations governing the World Hereford Council and its members were formalized and the role of the Secretary General more clearly defined. In 1968 the rule regarding the location of the headquarters of the Council was altered to read that the registered offices shall be situated with the Hereford Herd Book Society in Great Britain or wherever deemed necessary.
The significance of the alteration to that rule did not become apparent until 1984 when Mr Morrison advised delegates at the New Zealand World Conference that he would be retiring after the tenth World Conference in Spain in 1988. Mr Duncan Porteous was subsequently appointed as the World Secretary General and all the historic records of the World Hereford Council were shipped to Canada. Duncan managed a dual role combining his position as General Manager of the Canadian Hereford Society with that of the Secretary General of the World Hereford Council. Duncan's contribution to Herefords in Canada and to Herefords around the world has been immense.
Over the years the emphasis has moved away from rules and regulations to matters of more economic value for Herefords. Branded Hereford Beef, performance recording and research items have been topics of interest at conferences. An annual subscription is paid by member countries of the World Hereford Council and that revenue covers all administration services. The Secretary General manages the finances and presents annual reports to a financial committee at meetings or conferences.
Volumes of conference minutes and proceedings have been carefully bound and are to be kept for posterity. They were shipped from Canada and are now stored in New Zealand. Shifting the historic records to a new locality was relatively easy but I am quite sure that before the days of electronic communication it would have been quite impractical for a Secretary General to reside in Australasia. It is the view of the New Zealand Hereford Council that the Secretary General should be elected every four years and perhaps the locality of that Secretary General should be regionally rotated. This recommendation was put to delegates at the last meeting and will be fully discussed and voted upon at the next conference.
Hereford marketing and promotion are obvious responsibilities for the Secretary General and a web site promoting as many sires as are available from all member countries is one of the objectives of the Council. Collating research projects, beneficial to Hereford breeders is another objective and during the next four years the World Hereford Council plans to complete a global evaluation program for the Hereford breed. A meeting was convened in Kansas City in October 2004 and the schedule for the amalgamation of all the regional performance programs will be another responsibility for the Secretary General.
DNA and other technical advances, including the Global Evaluation program will increase the choices for registered Hereford breeders in the future. I feel confident that the Hereford breed has a major role to play in the growth of the beef industry and I look forward to the challenge of completing planned projects during my tenure as Secretary General of the World Hereford Council.
