11. Appeals – where a member considers he/she has been unfairly treated, they have the right to have their case examined by an Appeals Committee. The appeals committee shall be appointed by the Council and composed of members not involved with the dispute and/or experts. The appeals procedure to be applied shall be as follows:
    i. Stage 1: A member who feels aggrieved in relation to any matter pertaining to Association business should write, in the first instance, to the Chairman of the Council making it clear that Stage 1 of the appeal procedure is being invoked. The Chairman will reply as soon as is reasonably practicable, but in any case within 30 days from receipt of the letter from the applicant.
    ii. Stage 2: If the grievance remains unresolved at Stage 1, or a reply is not forthcoming from the Council Chairman within 30 days, the member(s) may request in writing that at their next Council meeting, the Council shall allow the member(s) to attend the meeting during the period that the grievance is being considered. The member will be allowed to make an oral submission on the grievance. The Council will then consider the issue and must communicate its decision to the appellant within 30 days.
    iii. Stage 3: If the issue remains unresolved after Stage 2, the member(s) may request an independent hearing. Appeals at Stage 3 will be heard by an individual or group of individuals with appropriate expertise, and agreed by both parties to the dispute. From the date of appointment of the person(s) hearing the appeal, the case will be heard and the decision taken will be communicated to both parties within 3 months. The person(s) hearing the case will decide on the apportionment of costs.
    iv. Stage 4: Any dispute that remains unresolved after Stage 3 may be pursued by invoking provisions under the legal personality of the Society (1963 Companies Act).

12. All members and persons associated with a member must conduct themselves in an acceptable and appropriate manner at all time in relation to Association business. Any member or associated person witnessed or reported to be physically or verbally aggressive towards any individual carrying out their duties on behalf of the Galway Sheep Breeders’ Association, will be reported to the Council for sanction.

13. The Association, its servants or agents shall not be responsible for injury, loss or damage to any person, animal or property occurring during or as a result of inspections or generally carrying out the business of the Association or any Association-related activity.

14. Galway Breed Characteristics
    i. Colour – White
    ii. Head – Hornless; back of head, between and underneath the ears covered with short wool and showing a medium bob. Ears of good length and of fine texture and free from black or brown spots. Nostrils dark in colour and wide. Rams should have a bold masculine head of medium size.
    iii. Neck – Thick, short and well set.
    iv. Shoulders – Well laid, level and wide at top.
    v. Chest – Wide, deep and well forward.
    vi. Ribs – Well sprung
    vii. Back – Long and level with strong, wide loin; rump wide and well fleshed, back bone not prominent.
    viii. Barrel – Deep, thick and long with straight underline.
    ix. Legs – Medium length, straight, square and well apart, having good bone and covered with wool to the knees and hocks. Slight feather on hind legs below the hocks, permissible but not desirable. Hind quarters deep, full and broad. Feet sound and well-shaped with short, straight pasterns. Hoof black with sound horn.
    x. Fleece – White and moderately long. Fibre wavy and of fine texture; staple broad, closely set and free from tips. Belly well covered with short, thick wool. The fleece in general should be as uniform in fibre texture as possible.
    xi. Skin – Light and pink in colour.
    xii. Carriage – Gay and alert.

The Galway Flock Book

15. Registration of animals in the Galway Flock-book is available only to members of the Galway Sheep Breeders Association Ltd, and it is also a requirement that breeders be enrolled with Sheep Ireland at the time of registration.

16. The Flock-book is composed of a main section only. To be eligible for entry in the Flock-book an animal must satisfy the following conditions:
    i. Its’ parents and grandparents must be entered in the Flock-book.
    ii. It must be identified from birth according to the rules of the Flock-book.

17. A fee is charged for entry in the Flock-book; a fee is also charged for issuing a certificate of registration. An annual fee per ewe is payable for registered ewes whose lambs have been recorded with Sheep Ireland. These fees will be revised regularly by the Council and details are available on request.

18. Animals will only be eligible for entry in the Flock-book within their year of birth and where all the required lambing details have been provided.

19. Permanent animal identification in the Flock-book shall consist of a unique 2-letter flock code + year of birth (2 digits) + an individual number that must be unique within a given flock. The National Sheep Identification System (NSIS) will be used to provide the unique individual number portion of the animal identification. The identification is to be done in accordance with the following:
    i. Breeders must identify lambs at birth by inserting a permanent NSIS tag in the left ear and the corresponding EID tag in the right ear, and must record on the lambing record the individual animal NSIS number printed on the male part of the NSIS tag.
    ii. The female part of the NSIS tag must be embossed with the breeder’s unique 2-letter flock code + the 2-digit year of birth number.

20. The Association will arrange for the issue of registration certificates for all males upon entry in the Flock-book. Certificates for females in the Flock-book will be provided upon request and payment of the prescribed fee. Certificates will conform to the specification set out in Directive 90/258/EEC of the EU Commission.