[VSS]

We recently had a litter of pedigree OSBs born with the view of keeping a couple of gilts to register as replacements because both of our sows are getting on a bit.

Having researched this I find it is going to cost me £60 to join the BPA in order to be able to register these piglets . OH phoned them this morning to find out if that was really  the case as it seems so unreasonably expensive. He was told that it doesn't cost that much - you pay £60 to join and you get 1 free registration as part of the package. The second one will cost an additional £6 - £8 to register.

What are they trying to do? I could buy in a weaner gilt for that price!! Come on BPA what are you thinking of!

[Berkshire Boy]

Trouble is the BPA isn't cost affective if you only register 1 or 2 pigs every now and then. To be honest I don't even think you get value for money however many you breed or register but they have you by the proverbials.

[robert waddell]

vss is it as easy as you say  to get your piglets registered     are your sows registered and when did you buy them   did the previous owner or breeder  birth note them and register them are they in your name
 
it is funny how it is allways the BPA that is to blame when procedure is not followed    how much does it cost to join a sheep breed society and you cant breed them and sell them with out being registered

[princesspiggy]

we have a fair different breeds/species. by the time u have joined all the societys and paid the fees, it does add up. thats just to get them registered so u can sell them.   

[VSS]

vss is it as easy as you say  to get your piglets registered     are your sows registered and when did you buy them   did the previous owner or breeder  birth note them and register them are they in your name

Yes both of our sows are fully registered and so is the boar - papers are all fully in order so no difficulty there. It is just an issue of cost making it better value for us to go out and buy replacements than to bred and register our own. Doesn't make any sense to me at all.

  how much does it cost to join a sheep breed society and you cant breed them and sell them with out being registered

The sheep breed society I work with charges a basic membership subscription of £25 per annum and it costs £5 to register each female. That is quite a bit less than the BPA are asking for.

[oaklandspigs]

Let's add to the controversy.
 
If you're not planning on selling any of the weaners to people who would want to breed, then there is no reason why you need to register.  You could quite happily sell the weaners from your unregistered OSBs as OSB type weaners to people who want meat pigs.
 
This is no different to selling puppies from dogs who are not registered with the kennel club.
 
The vast majority of purchasers of our weaners simply want meat pigs, so don't care whether mums are registered or not, they look for conformation, health and attractive looking pigs - in fact many of our crossbreds sell better than the purebreds as they mixing throw really interestingly marked pigs.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[princesspiggy]

i have to join the rbst to register my borerays, thats £40 pa, then the bagot goat society £15, then the Shetland cattle herdbook £15 (i think) and highland pony £25, then the reg/passport/microchip fees on top in some cases!  plus £60 for bpa.
rabbits were just as bad....

it does all add up 

[robert waddell]

went on the bpa website today  up to two sows registered   membership is £60 free birth notes and free registrations for herd replacements    others will be charged

[VSS]

If you look at it closely it allows you one free registration per year - herd replacement rate of 50%. So it is still going to cost you £60 to register one gilt.

[MAK]

I'm one of the pig owners that oaklandpigs described. I don't give a hoot about family lines, registration etc. A pig is a pig - a chop is a chop. Sounds like you are being ripped off by a group that offers you vey little in return for the fees.

[nelson]

A PIG IS A PIG  - A CHOP IS A CHOP  !! Well - what have you been eating - because my Tamworths , GOS, Berkshires and Cul Noir each have a different taste and texture. I DO CARE ABOUT FAMILY BLOOD LINES -otherwise you will end up breeding brothers with sisters and losing the integrity of the rare breeds. Without Pedigree stock the breeds won't survive.
Poor control of breeding and lack of understanding of bloodlines is causing real issues with GOS in France and according to our French vet the same problem exists with French rare breeds.

[Beewyched]

Sounds like a "rock & a hard place" to me.  Still don't understand why it's so expensive     The BKKPS is nowhere near the BPA membership fee - though Breed Registration is the same at £8 per head (£3.50 for "pets") & "litter notifications" are free.
Surely the larger the organisation, the lower cost of overheads per member/breeder 
 

[smudger]

Berkshire Pig Society is only £20/25.


http://www.berkshirepigs.org.uk/MembershipApplication.pdf


Now know why they are outside the BPA.

[robert waddell]

there is pedigree stock in Scotland you just have to do a bit of searching    maybe not all the breeds are covered      even in England they are not on every street corner

[robert waddell]

smudger that is only a breed club     the BPA run the registrations for the berkshire