SA Stud Book general manager Dr Pierre van Rooyen told the parliamentary oversight committee for agriculture that current animal recording systems caused large-scale duplication, which led to an inefficient and costly service. SA Stud Book suggested restructuring the system into a cost-efficient one-stop service.
For the current animal recording and improvement structure, SA Stud Book provided registration recording through the Integrated Registration and Genetic Information System (Intergis), while the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) recorded performance of national beef cattle, dairy animal, smallstock and pig and poultry, improvement schemes and genetic evaluation.
Dr Van Rooyen said after meeting with the ARC 18 months ago, ARC CEO Shadrack Moephuli suggested they explore ways to streamline animal registration. After months of research and workshops with relevant authorities and affected parties, SA Stud Book compiled a new plan which proposed a new structure.
“The new structure will entail the establishment of a separate legal entity (for example a Section 21 company). The entity will be responsible for animal improvement recording schemes, genetic evaluation and Intergis and SA Stud Book would be responsible for registration recording and the administrative management of the new entity,” said Van Rooyen.
SA Stud Book president Carel Nel said breeder’s societies, registering authorities and representatives of the performance-data recording schemes, who all use Intergis, gave their full support to the new plan at a meeting in Bloemfontein. Oversight committee chairperson Mlungisi Jonhson said there would be further engagements between relevant government authorities, the ARC and SA Stud Book before a decision to accept the proposal could be made.
