HOW EASY IT IS TO NEGLECT IMPORTANT MATTERS!
I seem to have been rather busy of late in carrying out my duties as President of the Staffordshire Moorlands & District Federation as I am sure some of you will appreciate but that is no excuse for neglecting my duties as Fed scribe and I certainly seem to have been doing just that.
I could make the excuse that I was waiting for other parties to put actions in place that would solve the problems that the sport is facing but that would be rather like watching paint dry.
In looking through my records I see that my last article was published in the form of a letter in the BHW and Ian Evans, General Manager, RPRA kindly responded by stating the RPRA point of view a view which everyone, I am sure, would endorse.
Just about every Club & Federation in the British Isles would recognise the need to stop the illegal use of banned substances from the sport of pigeon racing but it would appear that the present way of doing things, by taking faeces samples from baskets at the time of marking, and then transporting the samples thousands of miles to be tested, is proving to be unsatisfactory and open to legal challenges. Even the taking of dropping samples by independent and qualified personnel would still not seem to be the answer (although I must admit it would be a move in the right direction).
Training and appointing sample collectors, as suggested by Mr Evans is again to be applauded but again, if the validity of the resultant test is
going to be challenged because the sample COULD have been contaminated from another source, any self-respecting lawyer could drive a bus
through this charge.
It would appear that the existing dropping sample means of testing for prohibited substances is falling on very stony ground unless the sample can be taken under totally sterile conditions and then transported to the testing laboratory under similar conditions which, of course, is completely impractical on a cost basis alone.
I am not professing to know the answer to this thorny problem, wiser heads than mine are needed for that, but I am asking whether or not it is practical to ask Clubs and Federations to continue taking droppings samples and sending them for testing when there seems little or no chance of getting a positive result that will stand up under appeal.
Recent cases have led to resignations of Officials who can no longer accept the strain of carrying out these procedures only to be let down as a result of legal challenges. Good Officials are hard to find in today’s day and age and to keep losing existing ones just cannot be accepted.
So, I ask the following questions of the RPRA :-
- When can the rank and file expect to know of any recommended changes in procedure that will stand up to legal challenge?
- What guarantee can the RPRA give regarding alternative testing facilities other than South Africa?
- Who will be appointing the sample takers and when will the independent and trained sample takers be up and running?
- How will Clubs and Federations be able to request a visit from these sample takers
Until answers can be provided to the above questions I can’t see many organisations taking the trouble to take samples themselves and therefore the additional test kits that the RPRA authorised at their AGM will largely be remaining in their offices or in a cupboard somewhere on Club or Federation premises.
Now to a bit of good news about pigeon racing.
The Staffordshire Moorlands & District Federation are now rapidly approaching the first race in their 2017 season and by and large preparations are going really well. The race programme was agreed some while ago and is available to view on the Fed website (www.moorlandsfedpigeons.co.uk). Transporting arrangements are now complete and crates will be delivered to member Clubs the week before the first race.
Geoff Silvester will be in touch with all Club secretaries to agree times and dates etc.
Sales of the Gold Rings have gone really well but as you can see on the Fed website there are a few left and so if any Club would like a few extra rings, not to be used as Gold Rings, then please contact the Fed secretary who I am sure will be delighted to sell you a few at realistic prices!
The Breeder/Buyer auctions are now underway and as I have already posted on the websitewe managed to raisein excess of £1600 at Macclesfield with one more Auction to take place on Sunday 9 April at Kidsgrove WMC with the sale starting at 1.00pm prompt.
Can Kidsgrove beat Macclesfield?
We will just have to wait and see!
Whilst talking about Breeder/Buyer Auctions I feel that I should apologise to the Management, Staff and members of Berryhill Club for having to cancel the auction that was scheduled to take place at their premises at such short notice. Sadly, this was necessary for reasons totally beyond our control. Hopefully we will be able to make things up to that Cub as the season progresses.
That just about brings everyone up to date and please accept my apologies for not doing my job as your scribe as diligently as I should have done.
Hopefully see a lot of you at Kidsgrove the 9th April.
Cheers for now