• Receive District Council reports
• Election of executive members:   Messrs King and Mitchell retire by rotation
• Receive reports from the UBS Council, RAS Horse Stewards Council and Executive recommendations
• Consider remits and other business related to the Society and its members.

• Consideration of the annual report, audited balance sheet and revenue account
• Receive results of election of officers and executive
• Appointment of auditors
• Notices of Motion
• Special or general business.

The 1998-99 year has been an interesting and challenging one for all involved in agriculture and, as a consequence, the 75th Annual Report will differ from many we have presented in the past.   Our organisation, through our events, affiliates and members, has a unique opportunity to influence the future direction of much in our industry and, as such, our management plan has been completed and is available from our office.

During the year, the Society has again had an excellent relationship with its partner and major sponsor, The National Bank.   We thank the staff of The Bank throughout New Zealand for their continued support and assistance, and especially for the help they give to many of our rural communities through their sponsorship and attendance at local Shows and events.   Thank you also to The Bank for the patience they have shown as we grapple with the restructure of our organisation.

The 68th Royal Show was held in Hawke’s Bay and, as Mick Lester will report, was very successful.   A new event, the Suzuki/Royal Agricultural Society Young Achievers Award, was held during the Show.   This was won, from a very strong field, by Malcolm Ellis, a man we will hear much more of in the future.   Malcolm will be speaking at our annual conference in Ashburton on the future trends in livestock showing, and how he sees standards and conformation being retained as the drive for productivity continues.

Our major events are continuing to attract the best in the class.   None more so than Jim and Sue van der Poel, the 1998 Farmers' Mutual Group Rural Excellence Award winners, from the Waikato.   Again these are people we will hear much more of and are a couple who set standards in the rural community that we could all do worse than aspire to.   All of our events were staged successfully in the past year and again will be reported on fully in their respective area.   On behalf of the Executive, I thank all those people who give so much of their time and effort in ensuring that these events run so well, and all of those companies and people who sponsor these events for us.  Promotion of such diverse and large events, and the judging of such, involves much time and, while there will always be risk from the elements involved, we do our very best at all times to minimise those and ensure the smooth running of the events.

The past year has been quite intensive for both the Executive and our office and my thanks to Chris Mason and the staff at Shandwick Public Relations Ltd for their support and assistance.   My thanks especially for the team effort involved in the development of our Management Plan and the continued work in updating the Plan as sub-committees report in with their completed task.

By the time this report is tabled, I will have visited every District’s Annual General Meeting to explain the Management Plan and ensure that this is the direction we wish to follow.   We will have also initiated discussion on the membership make-up of our organisation, recommended the adoption of a standard set of rules for all shows, and stated the future direction we propose to take with Royal Shows.   It is our intention to settle all of these issues at this year’s AGM, allowing the new direction to affect the new show season and enabling our breed society members to plan their future roles within this chosen direction.

The re-establishment of the Royal Show as the premier agricultural event in New Zealand is the key to much of our policy and will require significant debate.   We will then need to redesign our structure to simplify our operation and allow all of our members to participate in the democratic process of running our organisation.   I suspect that a strengthening of our District structure will be a key to our progress, in both the performance of our affiliates and the re-establishment of a solid vibrant organisation, in readiness for the new millennium.   This will require some significant changes to our constitution and, once these are designed, a series of special general meetings will be called leading up to next year’s AGM where, all going well, the new constitution could be sealed, thereby completing our reorganisation.

This year has seen many very successful A & P Shows staged, and Sue and I have been most impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment that so many people have for their local Shows.   Our thanks to all those people who have entertained and met with us, from Matamata in early October, to Auckland in April.   To those many Shows that we were unable to attend, thank you for the invitations and we hope to get to visit you in the future.

The one major factor facing all of our voluntary organisations throughout New Zealand is the difficulty in attracting new people to give a little time to assist in the running of events, committees etcetera.   The Executive will be putting some effort into improving this situation in the year ahead.

Many of our Breed Societies and A & Ps are developing programmes and using systems that, with proper co-ordination and promotion, could be used beneficially by many others.   Our new business plan provides the facility for this to happen and could create major benefits for all.   Auckland’s development of the Education Resource Pack for Classroom Activities relating to New Zealand Farmlife is an excellent example of this.   Sharing of information and resources will be critical to the future survival of the rural sector, and particularly to our A & Ps and Breed Societies who have played such an important part in the history of New Zealand agriculture.

Two other current issues that are vital to our future in rural New Zealand are those relating to genetic modification and issues surrounding conservation and the Resource Management Act.
The Royal Agricultural Society will be watching the developments in both these areas with great interest and commenting where necessary or appropriate.

The amount of time spent by the people of New Zealand in recreational pursuits is growing significantly, creating new opportunities for our rural communities but at the same time putting new pressures on our environment.   Our organisation is heavily committed to recreation through our A & Ps and many of our members’ concerns.   We need to be proactive in encouraging Government to increase the sport and recreation spend, and perhaps this increase could help reduce the health and social welfare spend.

Special thanks to my Executive for their tolerance and hard work during the year, to all those who assist in running our Districts, breed sections, competitions and the many other facets of our organisation. You all know who you are, and I thank you very much for your contribution. We wish you all a prosperous and successful new show season.

OBITUARIES

We extend our sympathy to the families of those Society members who have passed on during the 1998-99 year.

Ian McKelvie
President

PATRONAGE OF THE SOCIETY

The Society’s patron for the 1998-99 year was again Sir Michael Hardie Boys.

The Society was again fortunate to receive sponsorship from our long-term partner and principal sponsor, The National Bank of New Zealand.   The assistance we receive from The National Bank allows us to continue to work towards our goals and, without this assistance, we would not be able to function as we do today.

We continue to work closely with Sponsorship Manager, Chris Keeping, and we thank her for the work that she has carried out during the year to ensure our Society continues to receive the support of The National Bank staff throughout New Zealand.   In addition, during 1999, The National Bank agreed to become the major sponsor of the national ewe hogget competition.   Without this support, the national competition would not have been held this year.

The Society is also fortunate to receive sponsorship support from a number of other organisations, for many of our events.   A special mention must be made of the support we receive from Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-Op Ltd, who continue to support many of our competitions, and to Farmers' Mutual Group who assist us with the Rural Excellence Award that commemorates Mr A C Cameron.

The Society also has a number of other sponsors who assist us in many ways, and we thank them for this support.

THE 1998 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The annual conference held in Masterton from 14 to 15 July, was ably hosted by Masterton A&P on behalf of our Eastern District Council.

A special acknowledgement is made to Murray Booth and Garth Southey for their efforts to ensure this event was well organised and smoothly run.   This was a particular challenge in 1998 as a new conference format was trialled.

The annual conference has again been reviewed and we hope that the revised format in Ashburton on 29-30 June and 1 July will further streamline this event, and make it a worthwhile experience for delegates.

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS AND BALANCE SHEET

The Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 1999 show a net surplus of $6,518.

While this is a satisfactory result on the surface, approximately 60 percent of the Society’s total income is sourced from the principal sponsorship of The National Bank, with this giving the Executive considerable cause for concern.
To ensure viability and independence in the future, the Society must increase the net income from its major activities, especially the Royal Show, if it is to avoid a significant increase in subscriptions at all levels.

The outcome of the Executive’s review of the combined membership of the Society and its affiliate members, will determine the membership strategy for the next few years.

Additionally, while expenditure has increased due to the increased activity of the Society and the Executive, the format for Executive meetings, District conferences, and the Society’s Annual Conference must be revisited in concept to ensure that unnecessary cost structures are eliminated or minimised.   As an example, the Executive believes that amongst itself, efficient use of facsimile, e-mail, and telephone rather than physical travel will effect substantial savings.

This year expenditure has been allocated to the formation and design of a web page through the Internet, with the many possibilities such as show dates, conference minutes and newsletters on this facility currently being researched.

Membership at year end stood at 1156 Life Members, 136 Annual Members, and 20 Corporate Members.

Once again I urge all Societies and Associations to offer every opportunity to all the sponsors of the Royal Agricultural Society to display or promote their products at district or local level.   Without their support, we would not be able to continue to promote excellence in agriculture throughout New Zealand and the very activities that continue to grow in stature would be unable to be promoted and hosted in the way they deserve.

The continued improvement in the financial performance of the Society is a reminder to us all of the time, effort, and expertise of the Secretariat - Lawrie, Klaus, Chris and Gina, and I extend to them the warmest thanks.

Finally, to all my fellow Executive members, my sincere thanks for your patience and guidance during the year.

Mr President, I formally move the adoption of the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 1999.

Mike Vernon
Hon Treasurer

Hawke’s Bay was privileged to host the 68th Royal Show in Hastings over three days, 21-23 October 1998.   A great deal of effort was put into the Show by the local Committee and their assistants, to ensure that it was up to the standard required by the Royal Agricultural Society for the hosting of a Royal Show.

Over the three days of the Show we were not blessed with the most favourable weather, but were still able to draw the largest crowd that has ever been to the Hawke’s Bay Show - 71,000 people over the three days.   This was an excellent turnout from a population in the Bay of 140,000.

As with previous shows, both Royal and standard, we were pleased to host and entertain a number of Ambassadorial and Government representatives over the period of the show.   It was unfortunate that the Governor General was unable to attend the show because of previous commitments.

In a change from previous years, we were able to use the Waikoko gardens area as a hospitality site for both The National Bank and the President’s lunches during the show.   We are very grateful to the principal sponsor, The National Bank, for assisting us in the provision of a marquee for this area, and congratulate them for the display they set up in the cattle area, both for their own purposes and also as a site for the Society to place their display.

A highlight of the 1998 Royal Show was the first running of the Suzuki Young Achievers Award.   This generously sponsored event drew a large number of entries and the finals, held at the Show, illustrated the quality of the youthful talent there is in our rural sector.

Considering the previous seasons in the North Island, we were very satisfied with the numbers of entries for the Show.   Horse entries were up to a record total of 4,002, while sheep and beef entries were down on the previous Royal Show at Hawke’s Bay.   The lowering of numbers did not in any way lessen the standard of entries, which was extremely high.   We were also pleased with the entries in both the dairy section and the milking goat section.

The judging standard was acknowledged as being extremely high with both overseas and local judges carrying out their, sometimes onerous tasks, in a very efficient manner.

Dog trials have now become a major feature of our Show and 1998 was no exception.   With over 170 entries, this efficiently run event was a highlight of the show for town and country patrons alike.   The holding of the bi-annual New Zealand vs Australia dog trials test at the Hawke’s Bay Show in 1999 is an acknowledgement of the importance of this part of our Show.

The accent of the Show was changed in 1998, as we saw a need to include more sections representative of the Hawke’s Bay region and community in the Show activities, both from an information transfer and an entertainment viewpoint.   The success of this change has convinced us that for Shows today to survive and flourish, it is essential to involve and showcase as many aspects of the wider Hawke’s Bay community as practicable to make the show an ongoing attraction to all.

Entertainment was provided both in the main oval and also throughout the grounds over the three days, but the highlight was the outstanding display from the NZ Police with their armed offenders and police dog display.

The Trades section was well patronised and reports from those exhibiting showed that if you are imaginative and proactive in your presentation then the rewards are certainly there from a commercial standpoint.

As with all A & P Associations, a Show cannot become a fact without the enormous contribution made by the vast number of voluntary workers who are prepared to give and devote so much of their time and expertise to making the Show happen.   To my committee and all their helpers, my sincere thanks for all their contribution to the 1998 Royal Show.

To the Royal Agricultural Society, President Ian McKelvie, Executive members, Chris Mason, our Executive Officer, Eddie Hayes, Hillary Riches, and our grounds manager, Alan Lucy, my sincere thanks for all your help and advice which made my job as President, a very rewarding one over the time of the Show.

Mick Lester
President

For the first time the Royal Easter Show and the Variety Club of New Zealand teamed up to stage a Gala Preview Night to mark the opening of the 1999 Royal Easter Show.

Guests were treated to thrill rides in the Carnival Areas, a sneak look at the Cheese and Wine stands and were able to cheer on New Zealand’s strongest men weighing in for their competitions over opening weekend.   At 7.30pm, guests made their way to the Logan Campbell Theatre for two hours of non-stop entertainment headlined by New Zealand’s latest international singing sensation, Bic Runga, and the fabulous Dalvanius with the Patea Mario club.

Thelma Barlow and Peter Baldwin, better known as television stars Mavis and Derek Wilton of Coronation Street, opened the Show.   Thelma and Peter were at the Show daily, meeting fans, signing autographs and generally adding to the fun and the nostalgia of times past.

The ten-day format was re-introduced after four, six-day Royal Easter Shows. While attendances were slow at the start of the Show, and on the last day when heavy rain fell, a total of 148,000 people flocked to the Show to work, judge, steward or simply enjoy the eclectic mix of A & P events and entertainment that characterises the Royal Easter Show.

In fact, this is what makes the Royal Easter Show unique in the family of A & P Shows.   The racial diversity of Auckland, linked with what some would say is an over supply of choice, has led the Shows Board to meet the competition head on with an entertainment extravaganza designed to pull in the punters.   Using the ‘country comes to town’ theme as a central thread, a different annual theme is added to the mix and brings in regular change.

We know that through our strenuous effort, Aucklanders, who account for 40 percent of our population, now understand better each year, either through attendance or from media reporting, the serious side of A & P Shows.

Entries in A & P sections were generally up, particularly in the equestrian and beef sections.   Level pegging with previous years was the dairy cattle section, and while dairy goat numbers were down, although overall entries were up.   Sheep entries, always low in comparative terms in this part of the country, suffered further from the outbreak of facial eczema prior to the Show.

Beef cattle are worthy of special mention having attracted the best entry levels of the decade and high praise from the judges.   There was standing room only during the final of the Meat & Wool Cup which resulted in a popular win for Rotomara Quintina, the Gelbvieh cow owned and shown by Mrs Sandy Stuart, of Cambridge.

Wine has been a part of the Royal Easter Show for 46 years and was once again a triumph.   A total of 712 wines were put before Chief Judge, Bob Campbell, his deputy guest Australian judge, James Halliday, and a supporting panel of local experts.   Thirty-four gold medals were awarded, among which were seven to Chardonnay, seven to Sauvignon Blanc, and three to the exciting new Pinot-Gris.

Champion Wine of the Show (wine maker Gordon Russell) was Esk Valley Reserve Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon 1996.   The prestigious Winemaker of the Year Award and the Royal Agricultural Society gold medal went to Rudi Bauer.   This award effectively recognises the contribution Rudi has made to winemaking in both Canterbury and Central Otago.

Rudi took one trophy and ten medals in this year’s competition, clearly showing his talent with a number of grape varieties though perhaps mostly with Pinot Noir.   Rudi is now managing a winery in Cromwell where he is making sparkling wine under the Quartz Reef Label.   He is also involved with a number of other vineyards and wineries including Nevis Bluff, Springvale, Kawarau Estate, Peregrine, Hays Lake and Two Paddocks.

The New Zealand Cheese Show and Awards, in their second year at the Show following a long period in recess, saw Mainland Products from Eltham take out the National Division Supreme Award with their Galaxy blue vein loaf.   Chief judge, Dr Frank Martley, described the winner as a "superb example of the blue vein genre and yet another exciting leap forward for the industry".

The Farmhouse (independent producers) Division Supreme Award went to a sheep milk cheese Evansdale Romano.   The two supreme winners were each awarded with a Royal Agricultural Society gold medal.

Dr Martley, in tracking the success of New Zealand cheese from a cheddar-based industry twenty-five years ago to the diverse and competitive industry we know today, praised the Cheese Show and Awards for offering a promotion window that, used wisely by producers, will assist marketing and consumption.

The Royal Easter Show Art Hall is now recognised as the largest display of amateur art in the country.   Encompassing painting, pottery, ceramics, glass, photography, combined textiles, indigenous art, wood turning and children’s art, the competitions and displays are exciting and diverse.

The guest artist for 1999 was Professor Chan Wan Yiu, who demonstrated the centuries old techniques of Chinese calligraphy and water painting.

Show patrons were able to try their hand using traditional ink boards, pens and brushes under the watchful eye of Professor Chan, who had trouble at times keeping up with the demand.

Within the program of youth participation at the Show, the Children’s Art House section, under the direction of Shona Hammond-Boyes, continues to grow.   When first included in 1997, there was but one Art House on the north shore of Auckland.   Three years later, as a result of publicity at the Show, fifteen clubs cater for children at risk while assisting hundreds of hugely talented young artists.

In photography, Leanne Rouse of Hikurangi in Northland, and in painting, Lynette Sinclair-Taylor of Hamilton, were recognised for excellence by the judges and each was awarded a Royal Agricultural Society gold medal.

A new initiative of the Show is to support the school visit programme with a curriculum-based package that enables teachers to work year-round on projects centered upon agriculture, with the highlight being the field trip to the Show.

Central to the visit is the Royal Easter Show Farmworld exhibit, which was extended this year to include a huge display of rare breeds.   Guests of honour in Farmworld were the Enderby Island Cattle with matriarch, Lady, her cloned self – ‘LC’ (Elise), and her son, Derby.   This small but important bovine family was a hit with show visitors and media alike.   Lady, once the only remaining member of her family, had lived completely apart from man on the remote Auckland Islands for most of her life.   However she seemed quite happy (after a few days of settling in prior to the show) meeting every one of the 148,000 show visitors.

Axemen also played a part in the school visits.   Chairman, Doug McCartie, demonstrated pit sawing and a range of antique axes and saws, all used yesteryear to carve pioneer homes from the bush.   Doug was assisted by Brian Trow, who carved wood sculptures in minutes with his modern equivalent – the chainsaw.

Two days of National Titles and two days of Handicap events kept the stands full over Easter and proved that a great line up of horse competitors can be maintained, even in the face of the huge prize money and facilities we all dream of, at Sydney Royal Easter Show.

In the main arena, top class show jumping and rodeo was complimented by barrel racing, pole climbing, dressage displays (with spectacular forward movement being the order of the day as obedience went right out the window when the dressage horses faced crowds, side shows and stage acts for the first time in their life), gun dog retrieving and trick riding.

The second arena, normally the center oval of Alexandra Park, for the duration of the Show becomes an integral part of the showgrounds, and hosts a myriad of equestrian events.   These events attracted entries from 1,100 horses and ponies over the ten days of the Show causing headaches for the Stewards as the stables were stretched to capacity and beyond.   That everyone remained sane is one of the many achievements of this year’s Show.

The Staff and Show Board were particularly pleased to welcome to Auckland the Royal Agricultural Society Executive, who chose to honour us by meeting during the Show.   This enabled us to share with the Executive the culmination of a year’s planning for the 1999 Show and to demonstrate that there is a place for an A & P Show within a city, such as Auckland, and a future for our Show long into the next millennium.

Kevin Cholmondeley-Smith
Manager – Royal Easter Show

Once again the Farmers' Mutual Group Excellence Award, in commemoration of A. C. Cameron, succeeded in attracting an excellent calibre of candidate for the finals’ judging in April.   In line with the Royal Agricultural Society’s mission statement ‘to recognise, promote and reward excellence in agribusiness’, the competition as it is now structured, continues to grow in profile as its importance is more widely promulgated.

Nominations came from the six districts as follows:

Northern:	Murray and Helen Jagger	Whangarei Heads, Northland
Western:	Louis and Barbara Kuriger	Opunake, Taranaki
Eastern:	Steve and Jane Wyn-Harris	Hatuna, Hawke’s Bay
Tasman:	Robert and Sharon Parkes	Linkwater, Marlborough
Aorangi:	Mark and Jenny Holmes	Rakaia, Canterbury
Southern:	Alistair and Josanne Megaw	Crookston, West Otago

The judges for the 1999 award were Mr John Wills, Chairman – Farmers’ Mutual Group and Dr Hugh Blair, Professor in Animal Science at Massey University, Palmerston North.

Like last year, the candidates were widely spread throughout the country, requiring quite a logistical exercise to create a judging schedule that not only minimised cost, but also the time involved for the judges.

The contestants all demonstrated a diverse range of activities, although dominated by dairying, and made the judges’ task a difficult one.   Any one of the six contenders would have made worthy winners.   A decision had to be made and it was in favour of Louis and Barbara Kuriger, Opunake.   With their previous experience, as a second time contender, they gave a professional presentation to the judges, demonstrating high production levels from a low cost, low input system.   Plans for business growth already on track, indicated a level of sustainability and confidence in their industry that few people in pastoral production could aspire to.

The judges also recommended to Farmers' Mutual Group that Robert and Sharon Parkes, from Marlborough, be awarded a ‘Highly Commended’, in recognition of the diverse range of business activities that they undertake in the Marlborough Sounds area.

A presentation function was held at Elmwood Gardens, Invercargill, on 29th April.   Each contesting couple were introduced to the invited guests to outline their farming operations and the winners were announced. The Kurigers were presented with the Royal Agricultural Society’s gold medal and a Life Membership by President, Ian McKelvie, and a $7000 Travel Voucher, by the Chairman of Farmers' Mutual Group, John Wills.

My thanks to Ravensdown for their continued support for the award and to the District Convenors for putting forward excellent candidates for national judging.   The Royal Agricultural Society acknowledges the contribution made by the competition’s major sponsor, Farmers' Mutual Group, whose assistance make this event possible.

Phil King
National Convenor

The 1998 Golden Fleece Competition and Exhibition was hosted by Canterbury A & P Association in conjunction with the Wools of New Zealand Annual General Meeting on 20th October 1998.

The Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand expresses its thanks to the Secretary of Canterbury A & P Association, Jane McIlroy, for her input and secretarial work, which came at a time when Canterbury was in the midst of its preparations for its upcoming show.

Special thanks also to Estelle James, who works diligently organising the many aspects of this event – from collating the results to typing numerous letters of correspondence, and handling many of the on-site function details.

The fleeces were on display at the Christchurch Town Hall and were viewed during the midday break of the Wools of New Zealand Annual General Meeting.

The winners of the 1998 Golden Fleece Competition were: -

Fine Wool		R J Brown of Lake Coleridge.
Strong Wool		Stevenson Brothers of Fernside, Rangiora.

The Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand is grateful to Wools of New Zealand, Wrightson, CRT Farm Centre, South Fert, SGS Wool Testing Authority, and the Canterbury A & P Association who supported the 1998 Golden Fleece Exhibition through sponsorship, judging, administration, fleece storage and/or testing.

The 1998 judges were Mr Andrew Templeton and Mr Roger Fuller, and our thanks to them and their companies for their time and expertise.

Due to a special request by Maniototo A&P Association, the 1999 Golden Fleece Exhibition will be held in Ranfurly, in conjunction with their centennial celebrations on 18th and 19th May 1999.

Roger James
National Convenor

Following a change in major sponsor for this event, The National Bank Ewe Hogget Competition was held this year, despite difficult climatic conditions in many parts of the country.   While this had an impact on the entry levels again this year, approximately 200 flocks were entered in the competition at local level, resulting in 14 flocks going through for final judging in the national event.

The competition is open to all commercial sheep farmers, and is driven by a point awarding system that rewards the entrant not only for presentation but a third of the total points awarded are for production and performance figures.   Geographic and climate conditions are also accounted for.   My co-judges this year were Mr George Pottinger, The National Bank Senior Rural Manager, and Mr Ian Stevenson, a fine and strong wool grower of North Canterbury.

The judges were unanimous in their selection of the winner of the national competition, which was awarded to Corrland Farms, Christchurch Prison, for their high-scoring crossbred flock.

Due to the difficult climatic conditions experienced by many entrants in the competition this year, the points were more widely spread than last year.

The other breed winners were:

Coopworth	K & L Anderson, Clinton
Corriedale	S Paterson, Ranfurly
Merino	T & R Paterson, Ranfurly
Perendale	K & R Munro, Conical Hill, Gore
Romney	N & D MacDonald, Ashburton.

The organisation required for a national event such as this is huge.   The contribution made by the volunteers and convenors throughout New Zealand, both in terms of their time and, in some cases, funding from their own pockets, to ensure this event occurs can not be understated.   It is a challenging competition to run administratively, and it is very important that competition deadlines are met for future competitions.

The Society has again been fortunate to receive sponsorship assistance for this event, and thank:
The National Bank, Ravensdown, Merial/ivomec, Alliance, Tru-Test, NZ Farmer and the various breed societies involved.

This is the fourth year the national competition has been held, and we look forward to working with our sponsors and the convenors involved to ensure the smooth running of this competition in the new millennium.

George Fletcher
National Convenor

Performance and production classes for both cattle and sheep sections are essential if we are to continue to see farmers entering livestock in our shows.   During the year your Society’s Executive established a sub-committee to prepare a paper for conference to introduce further commercial classes to our shows.   I look forward to the feedback from the breed societies concerned, and hope we can achieve significant improvements in this area.

Don Graham continues to represent the Society on the Agricultural Secretary Consultation Committee (ASCC), which is administered by the MAF regulatory authority.   The committee meets in Wellington at least four times a year and members of all facets of the livestock industry are represented. With the continued pressure to open up world trade barriers, it is important not to threaten our international reputation by taking undue risks that could affect the economic stability of our primary industries.   Sadly, this has happened in the Pork Industry, where the importation of cheap pork produced from subsidised grain has crippled our pork farmers.

During the year MAF and the Animal Health Board finally launched the National Identification scheme for both cattle and deer.   With continued pressure from our organisation, the compulsory identification tag will include not only herd of origin and year of birth, but also an individual number.   This system will have the obvious advantages to all parties involved in the industry, and we hope that it will result in a programme that is not only cost-effective, but also simple to implement so that farmers are encouraged to participate.   Thanks to John Turner and the cattle committee for their involvement in this process.

Thanks also to Robin Bruce for his efforts in helping to coordinate the equestrian industry voluntary disease control scheme, which tackles issues such as the recent outbreak of Equine Viral Arteritis.   With the rapid changes taking place in the food and fibre industries, we believe it is important to continue to be represented on respective committees.

Another area we are monitoring with interest in the field of genetic modification.   While the Society supports rational crop and livestock improvement practices as being consistent with centuries of agricultural practice, we also believe there needs to be a reasoned approach to the issue, and scientific and environmental safeguards based on international scientific and research/approvals conventions should not be ignored.

As my first year in the role of UBS Chairman I am pleased to have received the support of Don Graham, John Turner, Beef Breeds, and Robin Bruce, Horse Stewards Council, who assist in their areas of expertise as and when required.   I thank these people for their support, and also our Secretary, Chris Mason, who efficiently handles any United Breed Society task assigned to her.

After several years of investigation, at last it appears we have found a drug company prepared to look at trialing a cure for Watery Bellie (Watery Mouth).   A proposal is before the Animal Remedies Board, where it first must be accepted.

William Mitchell
Chairman