American Kerry Cattle Association
The American Kerry Cattle Association was incorporated as a 501(c)3 Non Profit in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in October of 2016. The sole purpose of the Association is to provide an American based Cattle Registry and Herd Book Service specifically for the preservation of the Irish Kerry Cow. This Association will work independently of any club, society, cooperative or other association promoting the Kerry Cow in North America. The primary purpose of the American Kerry Cattle Association is to provide a Pedigree resource to breeders and other organized groups that will assist in the verified purity of Kerry Cows in the North American herd. The AKCA will adhere to the breed standards of the Irish Kerry Cattle Society and recognizes that organization as the premier resource for Kerry Cattle history and breed purity. The AKCA recognizes that the Kerry Cow is a Dairy breed and will not issue pedigrees for upgraded cattle in this Registry. DNA testing confirming parentage of all new calves to the dam and sire of record will be required for issuance of pedigree after the open enrollment period which ends on December 31, 2017. Animals with no previous pedigree either from the Irish Society or CLRC will require written documentation of the origins of the unregistered cattle and may be subject to DNA testing if applicable to verify purity against the established population. As of January 1, 2018 only calves born to registered Kerry Cattle and sire and dam verified through a DNA Genotype will be allowed into the Registry. Registration Fees are $25.00 (US dollars) per animal and all testing will be performed and paid for by the owner of the cattle. Fees for transfer of ownership of registered animals are $20.00 (US dollars) each. Registration Rules will be published when they have been finalized by the AKCA board.
The American Kerry Cattle Association is a not for profit organization created for the preservation of the Kerry Cow. At present a small board of Officers, which are volunteers, will run the Association. There will be Associate memberships issued with no dues in the first few years of organization. At a later date, if necessary, the Articles of Organization may be amended to incorporate a voting membership. It is anticipated that there will be registrations of less than 50 new calves per year based on the current herd population.
At the current unofficial estimate there may be less than 60 breeding females in the United States and Canada.
The American Kerry Cattle Association is intended to be a resource for all to use in the preservation of Kerry Cattle in North America.
