Extract from Dog World, 25th October 2013
THE KENNEL Club has had a change of heart over cutting the number of CCs allocated for 2016.
Clubs had been asked to suggest which shows should lose CCs for their breed, but it seems that there was so much resistance to the cuts that the 2015 allocation will be used for the following year, with additional CCs allocated to eight breeds but no reductions.
The Kennel Club’s General Committee discussed the matter at its recent meeting and agreed that reducing the number ‘could be considered detrimental to the current show scene’.
During debate the Committee also agreed that a working party should be established under the chairmanship of Keith Young to investigate ways to ‘re-popularise exhibiting at dog shows’.
Its remit will include a comprehensive review of the protocols used to establish the number of CCs to be allocated for each breed and the criteria used to decide which shows and clubs the CCs are allocated to.
Consultation
In May the KC announced that more than 60 breeds would lose a total of 78 sets of CCs for 2016 following a consultation on the part of the club with breed clubs.
It was the first time the General Committee had directed that a period of consultation should occur and each affected club was asked to submit a proposal which would then be considered when deciding the allocation of CCs to show societies.
Previously the KC had deferred a reduction in the number of CCs of a number of breeds due to the potentially adverse effect it could have on entry figures.
However, it was agreed in May that, with the exception of the British an Irish native vulnerable breeds, no breed should have any reduction of CCs deferred and that for 2016 the allocation should be based solely on the established method of calculation.
During 2012 a total of more than 3,400 sets of CCs were allocated, meaning that the proposed decrease would have amounted to 2.3 per cent of the entire CC allocation.
The current process of calculating the number of CCs available for allocation is based on applying the average number of exhibits at shows where CCs were on offer for that breed over the previous two years to a scale to determine the number of CCs available.
However, on Monday the KC said it had now decided against any reduction based on the results of the consultation ‘and having listened to comments and concerns expressed while attending shows’.
The KC thanked breed clubs and councils which participated in the consultation. “All the comments and proposals were very much appreciated,” a spokesman said.
The full allocation will be published on the KC’s website in November after the paperwork has been dispatched to show societies and breed clubs, and in the December issue of the Kennel Gazette.