The Budgerigar Society - NCA Management Committee Report 19/08/2009
At its meeting on August 19 at Markfield the Management Committee of the National Council for Aviculture was forced to make the saddest decision required of it in recent years. In July, 2009 at Rotherham Magistrates’ Court one of its Honorary Life Vice Presidents and former Chairman, Sean Fitzpatrick, who had served the Council well for many years, admitted guilt and was sentenced for a number of infringements of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Since the constitution of the NCA specifies that “Honorary Life Vice Presidents shall at all times uphold with honour and dignity the constitution, traditions and policies of the NCA”, the Management Committee was obliged at this stage to remove Sean’s name from its list of officers.
The repercussions of this case go far beyond one individual, however, since assumptions made by some or even many bird keepers about close ringing and documentary proof of birds bred in captivity may be ill-founded and others could be unwittingly in danger of contravening the law. The regulations in this area and their interpretation are complex and liable to change. As a result, the NCA is consulting with DEFRA through the SUN group and directly with the British Bird Council with the aim of giving its member organisations clearer advice on how to proceed safely in these matters.
On a more positive note the Management Committee was pleased to approve an application by the FBL for the late George Coe to be listed in the Hall of Fame for his lifetime of service to aviculture at national, regional and local levels. A new design was also approved for NCA diplomas which are presented to new entrants on the NCA’s Roll of Honour. See NCA website (www.nca.uk.net) for details of our award schemes.
As part of the NCA’s contribution to the Strategy for Bird Welfare it has made available on its website a series of fact sheets about many aspects of bird care. Further welfare sheets applicable to individual species or groups of species will be added over the coming months. A new colourful, updated edition of the ‘Welcome to Birdkeeping Booklet’ is now with the printers and will be available for distribution from the NCA stand at the National Bird Show of the Year at Stafford in October.
The NCA confirmed its acceptance of COM’s invitation to take up membership from 1st January, 2010 and is in the process of arranging talks with representatives of the IOA who, at present, are the sole members of COM GB and with whom the NCA would like to work for the benefit of UK bird keepers interested in the international avicultural scene. The NCA will also be represented at the next World Show in Porto in January.
Several amendments to the NCA’s constitution were approved for recommendation to the membership at next year’s AGM. The majority of these resulted from requests from affiliated CBSs and will allow greater flexibility for such clubs to respond and contribute to the agenda of meetings. Our CBS Liaison Officer, Steve Nesbitt, will be writing to all affiliated clubs in the near future keeping them up to date.
Barry Mills
NCA Publicity Officer