Dutch Report 2012
Latest news regarding the NSPS
May 2012 Update:
This matter is still ongoing between the NPS and the Dutch Ministry
April 2012 Update:
The latest news on the Dutch Stud Book application is as follows: in order to provide the NSPS (Netherland Shetland Pony Stud Book) with the opportunity to take the necessary steps towards fulfilling the conditions of the Mother Stud Book SPSBS, the Dutch Ministry has postponed a definite decision on the application of the NSPS (Dutch Shetland Pony Stud Book) until 1 April 2012. This will be settled in a conditional recognition as per 1 January 2012, of which one of the conditions will be that the NSPS by 1 March 2012 will have filed the definite documents as approved by the General Assembly. If this date is not met or if on the basis of the received documents it has to be concluded that the NSPS does not fulfil the conditions, then the recognition will be cancelled per 1 April 2012.
In Holland a new group of legally minded Shetland Pony breeders have formed a new stud-book, the SPA (Shetland Pony Association) and is in agreement that if the NSPS meets all the requirements of the SPSBS and all Shetland ponies can move freely with the same status, without discrimination or compulsory inspection into any approved Shetland Pony stud book, then the only Stud Book within the Netherlands should be the NSPS, as the objective of forming the SPA was to allow Shetland pony owners and breeders the same treatment as the UK members of the SPSBS enjoy.
Previously....
The letter below was sent to the President of the SPSBS from a Dutch Member.
It is important to know that many of our International Shetland pony breeders are very dissatisfied with the Shetland pony stud books in their respective countries and as such have made complaints both to their own Ministries and the European Commission.
In Holland a new group of legally minded Shetland pony breeders have formed a new stud book SPA (Shetland Pony Association). They are in the process of getting official recognition from the Dutch Ministry (PVV) and they have been informed that if the current Dutch Stud Book (NSPS) does NOT change its current rules to comply 100% with the Mother Stud-book (SPSBS) the NSPS will lose its Shetland Pony Stud Book status and official recognition as the Stud Book for Shetland Ponies in Holland. At this point the SPA will be in a position to be granted the official and legal Stud Book status for Shetland Ponies in Holland.
On receipt of the letter below, this information was sent directly to MMS the solicitors who act for the SPSBS and the Scottish Government who have been working on behalf of the SPSBS for some considerable time in order to bring the Dutch Stud Book situation to a conclusion.
When the SPSBS receives any further news of information on this situation, it will be put on the SPSBS web site.
Needless to say this is VERY good news for our Shetland Pony and the many enthusiasts who support this wonderful pony worldwide and just want to enjoy their ponies without restrictions placed on them by a few.
Letter from the Shetland Pony Association in Holland
This letter is to inform you on behalf of the SPA (Shetland Pony Association) of the progress made thus far in the process for recognition by the PVV (Dutch Marketing Board for Livestock and Meat) of the Shetland Pony Association in the Netherlands.
In May 2011 the PVV has defined the criteria and directives for recognition more sharply – in part this was due as a policy towards enforcement as they realised enforcement had been lacking over the last years.
All stud-books had to reapply for recognition before 1 October 2011. Both the SPA and the NSPS have done so. The appeal the SPA had instigated following the rejection in March 2011 was treated by the PVV as an application for recognition in accordance with the new criteria and directives.
The appeal has been rejected on legal grounds; there can be only one stud-book for Shetland Ponies in the Netherlands, and, until a decision has been made by the PVV it is assumed the NSPS is still the recognised stud-book. Therefore, the SPA cannot assume recognition yet purely on legal grounds.
On Tuesday 22 November the PVV (P.V.E) had initiated a meeting where the following parties were present:
Mr. S.W.A.Lak director of PVV and a policy officer of the PVV
Mrs. R. Algera from the PVV legal department
Chairman and secretary of the NSPS
Chairman and secretary of the SPA.
Mr. Lak made clear that if the existing application of the NSPS would not be adjusted to comply with the general principles of the mother stud-book SPS-BS the result would be that from 1 January 2012 there would be no recognised stud-book for Shetland ponies in the Netherlands. On the basis of the present application the NSPS will receive no recognition. Your letter from 31 January 2012 has played a considerable role in this matter, since it states clearly which principles and practices are concerned.
As can be seen in the attached diagram these have been adopted by the PVV
The main principles:
There are no supplementary registers
The main body of a Stud Book may be divided into pedigree registers according to the age and gender of the animals
All offspring of parents entered in the Stud Book that have a pedigree established in accordance with the rules of the Mother stud Book and the requirements I&R (identification and Registration) must be registered in the main body of the Stud Book
If a pony has passed veterinary inspection to the agreed ISPC International Veterinary standards in any ISPC country, it shall be accepted in all other daughter Stud Books and in the mother Stud Book as fully licensed without further inspection and must retain full privileges of a breeding animal.
Any inspections or performance tests undertaken must be on a voluntary basis and the choice of the owner.
The question came up; Should exceptional cases such as ponies with a height above 1.07m which have been entered in an ISPC Stud Book also be accepted in any other ISPC Stud Book?
The answer is, if there are no special agreements between the ISPC countries then the pony shall be accepted in accordance to the principles in force.
The mother Stud book has to make a proposal for a plan of conduct to the ISPC meeting.
In case the NSPS does not change its rules and regulations and thus will not be recognised, it is possible for the SPA to be recognised as the proper stud-book after all. That is why we will appeal the present rejection.
