[Beewyched]

The BPA has us over a barrel on this one - unless you breed KKs or British Lops, you have to pay their fees or you can't birth notify nor register any offspring as pedigree.
The charges were massively hiked up over a year ago, with no notice nor consultation, and we've all suffered as a consequence. The BPA answer to the increased charges (at a time when the recession was biting and feed prices were soaring)? "Pass the extra cost onto your customers." Not helpful.
Unfortunately, none of the breed clubs which have their herd books managed by the BPA was willing to fight against the decision on behalf of members, so everything petered out.

What was their justification for it Liz?

[oaklandspigs]

What was their justification for it Liz?

The BPA said that they had not raised fees for many years, and needed to keep up with inflation.  They ignores their substantial reserves, and did no work as far as I could see to reduce costs.  One could argue for instance as to why the BPA needs to have someone who spends much of their time abroad promoting british rare breeds.  However the BPA simply ignores critisism.
 
 

[Fowgill Farm]

Unfortunately, none of the breed clubs which have their herd books managed by the BPA was willing to fight against the decision on behalf of members, so everything petered out.

Not strictly true, the reason the breed clubs can't or won't upset the apple cart is that if they exit from the BPA they lose ALL the history of their breed as the BPA owns(a done deal many years ago when the NPA & BPA sort of amalagamated) the herd books of each individual breed so it would mean starting the herd books from scratch! The other thing is the apathy amongst breed society members, the GOS club has more than 350 members but its the same handful approx 30 who get involved in committee, AGm & events. The BPA has us over a barrel and they know it, there is no alternative place to register pigs.
Mandy 

[Tamsaddle]

And to top it all off, the BPA website is quite useless.  Almost every time I try to do anything on line, such as register or transfer pigs, they come up as non-existent, or dead, or ORRERR, even though the piglets are all birth notified and the dams and sires are alive and listed in the main herd registration book.   Every time I log on I own a different number of pigs (I fill in the annual survey on time each year), sometimes I am a breeder, sometimes not, and our sow that died last summer apparently did so 3 months before giving birth to a litter of 10.    So every job has to be done twice, writing a back up e-mail to the BPA telling them what you were intending to do, and to discover whether whatever it was you submitted ever got through.    Still no reply to last Friday's e-mail.    With birth notifying our last litter of Tams, the only way I could get the sire up was to list him as both alive and dead.    Daft.    Tamsaddle   

[oaklandspigs]

Not strictly true, the reason the breed clubs can't or won't upset the apple cart is that if they exit from the BPA they lose ALL the history of their breed as the BPA owns(a done deal many years ago when the NPA & BPA sort of amalagamated) the herd books of each individual breed so it would mean starting the herd books from scratch! Mandy 

Have seen this so many times in my business career - things or responsibilities handed over to new firms with no thought on how you get it back if the "marriage" goes pear shaped.
 

[robert waddell]

well this is election year     if you fulfill the criteria for being eligible to stand for election get your names in   and make that difference happen

[Beewyched]

I can't coz I'm not a member & don't intend keeping "bigger breeds" than my KKs.  Plus it sounds too much like politics to me 
Maybe the NPA & BPA should have had a "pre-nup" - suppose it's always wise to be after the fact.  It seems such a shame that costs of membership etc puts folks off keeping/registering some of the rare breeds - it'll end-up with loss of bloodlines, inter-breeding etc.  which must surely be contrary to the aims of the BPA.  Oh dear 

[Fowgill Farm]

  Plus it sounds too much like politics to me   
 which must surely be contrary to the aims of the BPA.  Oh dear 

Yes it is all politics and one big clique!   Institutionalised gravy train!
Aims - BPA err no correlation there whatsoever!   The BPA is just a necessary evil that we pedigree pig keepers have to use. On the whole the pedigree side does work well and is well managed by the ladies who administer it in the office. The hierarchy leave something to be desired and i'll leave it at that.
Mandy

[robert waddell]

do nothing and it continues     use your vote or better still stand for election  and make the changes
there are two reps in Scotland they might as well be on the British pregnancy association  nothing has filtered through to the members what they have done or achieved      i could say more but
 
i would vote for you

[Fowgill Farm]

use your vote or better still stand for election  and make the changes
i would vote for you

Thanks for your vote of confidence!    I will use my vote but on threat of life from OH cannot stand for election( already have GOS club committments) plus it will take more than one renegade on the governing body other than me to make changes go thro! I will continue to question and heckle from the sidelines.
Mandy 
 

[VSS]

  It seems such a shame that costs of membership etc puts folks off keeping/registering some of the rare breeds

I agree, because that is exactly what it has done. I can't justify registering any of my piglets at that cost.

[Berkshire Boy]

VSS you are looking at it wrong. Say you have 3 good gilts in a litter and you want to register them. You will have to pay £60 to join, you get 1 free registration and pay 2 registrations at £7 each total outlay £74. Those 3 gilts are then worth £75 or more each if you sell ordinary meat pigs at say £45 each  thats £135 for meat or £225 for registered.
If you do that twice a year you easily cover your registration costs etc.

[Fowgill Farm]

VSS you are looking at it wrong. Say you have 3 good gilts in a litter and you want to register them. You will have to pay £60 to join, you get 1 free registration and pay 2 registrations at £7 each total outlay £74. Those 3 gilts are then worth £75 or more each if you sell ordinary meat pigs at say £45 each  thats £135 for meat or £225 for registered.
If you do that twice a year you easily cover your registration costs etc.

Agree with BB, don't forget you don't 'register' all your pigs, The first process is a birth note (birth certificate)which are free and then as BB says you only register (ie get them a passport)the ones that are good enough.
Think you may be thinking you have to register a whole litter at £7 per pig which isn't the case as explained above.
HTH
mandy