top of page
Dairy Farm

Code of Ethics for Dairy Breeders

The following practices and procedures are considered unacceptable and fined for being unethical in the show ring of registered dairy cattle.

​

  1. Misrepresenting the age of the animal for the class in which it is shown.

  2. Balancing the udder by any means other than by leaving naturally produced milk in any or all quarters.

  3. Treating or massaging any part of the animal’s body, particularly the udder, internally or externally with irritant, counterirritant, or other substances to temporarily improve conformation or produce unnatural animation.

  4. Minimizing the effects of crampiness or lameness by feeding or injecting drugs.

  5. Surgery of any kind performed to change the natural contour or appearance of the animal’s body, hide or hair. Not included is the removal of warts, teats and horns, clipping and dressing of hair and trimming of hooves.

  6. Inserting foreign material/articles under the skin, into the topline or on the feet.

  7. Criticizing or interfering with the judge, show management or other exhibitors while in the show ring or other conduct detrimental to the breed or show.

  8. All exhibitors must be registered in the name of the exhibitor in accordance with the bylaw of the association. The certificate of registration must state if the animal is purebred or at least 75% of purebred inheritance.

​

PART II

  1. If intended for use in contravention of the Code of Ethics, no exhibitor and no agent, employee or other person acting on behalf of an exhibitor, will have in his or her possession or control any hypodermic syringe, needle or other device, swabs, cloths, or other material, or any medicine, preparation or substance whether in liquid or any other form.

  2. Exhibitors will not be allowed to wrap hocks or drain fluid from hocks at a show.

  3. All entries and the personal property of all exhibitors, their servants and agents and person acting on behalf of exhibitors, are subject to inspection by inspectors authorized by a show. All shall provide all such information in connection with such inspections and will provide access to the animal and all information reasonably required by inspectors in connection with such inspections and shall provide, if so requested, samples of urine and blood suitable for analysis. Exhibitors will also remove any udder supports or other objects limiting the ability of the inspector to undertake a thorough inspection. In particular, the inspectors will be informed in advance, of the nature of any medicine, treatment or substance administered to any entry and the reasons therefore. Inspections under this paragraph may be carried out at any time while the animal is at the show and elsewhere in the period ending 30 days after the termination of the show between the hours of 6:00a.m. and 8:00p.m.

  4. Any inspector may, at any time, require the delivery to him of any hypodermic syringe, needle or other device, swabs, cloths or other material, or samples or any other form, in the possession or control of the exhibitor, his servants, agents or persons acting on behalf of the exhibitor for the purposes of laboratory analysis.

  5. (A) Subject to provisions of the subparagraph (B),the following entries are disqualified and will not participate further in the show in which the entry was disqualified. (i) Any animal determined by an inspector, who is also a veterinarian, to have an udder manifesting any of the following: localized swelling, oedema, erthema, sensitivity, reddening, firmness, warmth or exfoliation of the skin, but excluding a general oedema associated with parturition or mastitis, or a sore in the area where the large blood vessels enter the udder. (ii) Any animal entered by an exhibitor whose servants, agents or persons acting on his behalf, fails to cooperate in the inspections provided for under paragraphs three or four.
    (B) The inspector’s determination pursuant to the subparagraph (A)(i) is subject to an appeal by the exhibitor to the appeal committee appointed by the show for the purpose. Any such appeal must be made by notice in writing delivered to the show management within one hour of notification of the inspector’s determination.

​

In keeping with the basic philosophy of the fair/ exhibition/ show committee, ethics is an individual responsibility. However, it should be understood that violators are subject to the disciplinary provision of the Rules and Regulations. Note: This show is operated under rules and regulations for showing dairy cattle as set up by Canadian Dairy Breeds. They can be downloaded at www.holstein.ca/Content/Pdfs/AwardsAndShows/Shows/English/regulations.pdf

bottom of page