Status of Negotiations
Friday 12 March 2010
Negotiations
DEFRA
Officers from DEFRA's equine identification and zootechnique dept have been working with me to facilitate our application for a recognised independent Hispano-Arabe Breed Association.
Previously it had not been bought to their attention that the breed was on the critical endangered list needing special protection. Their experience in this area of supporting the setting up of breed studbooks has in the past dealt with native equine breeds and not a foreign breed daughter stud book.
In the normal EEC regulations there is a requirement for the stud book to be set up with an advised minimum of 50 mares and 17 stallions. In Spain at the start of their recovery programme they were struggling to meet normal requirements...but that is the nature of the definition 'critical to point of extinction'!
DEFRA recognises that there is a precedent for modification of the regulations in these circumstances, taking account that if correctly managed here in the past 30 years there would by now have been more than adequate breeding numbers of Hispano-Arabe horses. The case is further supported by the breed regeneration plan incorporating the outbreeding to use the two parent bloodlines.
Therefore, allowing time to establish relations with Spain for inclusion in the parent stud book, source and assimilate experience in management of Equine Breed associations, and for our UK Hispano-Arabe owners and future interested parties to work together in formulating their future breeding strategies and exactly what direction we want to take our own breed organisation in, DEFRA have advised that they are working towards full independent registration for 2011.
Spain/UEGHa'
In the last few years the Spanish Department for the Environment, and Rural and Marine Affairs have been actively high profiling the importance of the Hispano-Arabe horse in their own country, particularly as the regeneration programme that has been under the control of the Cria Caballar has reached a point where evaluation indicates they have established a sound successful method of breed preservation.
As the system applied has proved viable the Hispano-Arabe Stud Book has been passed to the control of Union Espanola de Ganaderos de Caballos de Raza Hispanoiarabe (UEGHa'). This is the association of cattle ranchers for whom this breed of horse is an integral part of their industry and history. The functionality and development of the breed into the unique horse that it is, is very much intertwined with the working lives of these cattlemen and their need for the breed to continue in that relationship is the strongest natural selection criteria that will ensure the fixing and pre-potence of the Hispano-Arabe as a breed.
The Spanish government has been very helpful in dealing with my request for assistance in re-establishing our contact with the parent stud book for recognition of our status as the official UK daughter stud book.
To that end the Director of UEGHa' Senior D. Javier Fernandez Alvares has confirmed his delight and willingness to continue inclusion of our horses and resume registration and grading of Uk Hispano-Arabe horses. He is prepared to visit the UK to discuss matters as soon as we wish.
UK Hispano-Arabe owners and interested parties
With the two govt bodies now in full support of sustaining our Hispano-Arabe horses it is up to you to start actively voicing what you would like to see happen for the future viable sustainability of these horses here in the UK.
I'm only too well aware of the past in-house personal issues that have fragmented the breed, but it is the hard logistical matters that I need feedback from you about; in order to go the negotiating table at the outset and eliminate the problems before we start.
As a small organisation there are clearly issues about financial sustainability of the breed from the point of documentation costs. In this I'm looking at comparable organisations in order to at the outset negotiate with Spain viable pricing structures as well as looking at sensible fast procedures to process documentation. There are also matters regarding costs and logistics for organisation of grading of our horses that need to be considered.
I'm liaising with several other official organisations to investigate what grants may be available to assist with the financial burden necessitated by the unique conditions of dealing with an endangered breed that requires greater involvement by its parent stud book.
So to all interested parties I now request that you put pen to paper and let me have your constructive input. Obviously at some point that seems to be speeding towards us we will have to organise an informal meeting (suitable sociable pub somewhere central?)
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