Notes from the RFBS AGM 2015

The AGM was preceded by two talks, “A perspective on the opportunities and

challenges for sheep keepers” and “what might have been hidden in the Ryeland genome?”

Phil Stocker, the Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association was a good speaker who was doing a gentle recruiting job for the NSA. Check out his opening video – “So God Made a Farmer”. The NSA document “A Vision for British Lamb Production” might be worth a look too, although NSA tends a bit more towards commercial production than many of us.

The talks by Professor Mike Bruford and two colleagues from Cardiff University were fascinating, but left me feeling totally inadequate with complete lack of recall, so that I can’t report anything here apart from the opening remark from one of the Prof’s colleagues. She said that the question of where did the coloured Ryelands come from should really be replaces with the question “where did the white Ryelands come from”, because wild sheep were invariably brown or black, and whites were Selectively bred when dyeing fabric became fashionable.

The reports presented at the AGM were pretty much as printed in the invitation to the meeting which we all received around the end of March.

Additional input from John Donovan included the information that Council had earlier in the day agreed to employ additional resource to help Dot with registrations.

Results of the postal vote on regional groups were passed out; revealing that of 244 votes 77% wanted regional groups to be introduced, with 70% wishing this to be within the arrangements of the society. 63% were prepared to have a £5 levy to pay for this and 36% would be prepared to become a regional committee member. For the Northern area these figures were 59 votes, 75, 61, 54, 25% respectively.

Council had decided to take the proposal forward but would intend further consultation beforehand, aiming at putting something to their July meeting. A 75% vote would be needed.

The Genetics cub-committee report by Ifan Lloyd was also as recorded in our invitation.

Council were a bit disappointed in the level of uptake of coat colour genetic testing.

We were told that full sequencing of the Ryeland genome was now feasible at a cost in the region of £100 per test, with a minimum of 15-20 tests initially being done across a carefully chosen spectrum of sheep. One member from the floor proposed that the Society should offer to fund this to make progress. My suggestion that this should be agreed by the membership was greeted dubiously, although there seemed to be a measure of agreement, with conditions, with the proposal.

The next AGM will be held in Scotland on 7th May 2016

John Halmshaw (Northern Ryeland Group Chairman)