SUBSCRIPTIONS  FOR YEAR 1.12.07-30.11.2008

Value Added Tax (VAT)
All members of the Society resident in the European Union must be charged VAT on goods and services supplied to them UNLESS they are registered for VAT.  If this is so and it is applicable to your Highland cattle enterprise you must advise us of your VAT Registration Number when you join, otherwise you will be charged VAT on all Society invoices.  If you later register for VAT please advise us of your VAT number immediately. 
MEMBERS CANNOT RECLAIM VAT ON INVOICES ISSUED BY OUR SOCIETY BEFORE NOTIFICATION OF THEIR VAT NUMBER

Payments from overseas
The Society cannot accept responsibility for charges levied by banks for payments from outside the UK.  The full amount stated on the invoice must be received.  If you do decide to join payments from overseas can be made by one of the following means:

1. By a bank draft in pounds Sterling drawn on a British bank.
2. Direct payment to the Society’s account.

Bank of Scotland
63 Drumlanrig Street
Thornhill DG3 5LY

Direct transfer in Sterling:
Iban – GB61 BOFS 8019 0200 1679 39
Sort code – 80 19 02
Account no – 00167939
Swift Bic – BOFSGB21186

The person paying the account should ensure that the Society receives the full amount specified on the invoice after bank charges have been deducted.  There is normally a bank charge made by both the issuing and receiving bank so please instruct your bank that all charges (i.e. charges made by your bank and by our bank) should be deducted from your account when sending a payment to us.  Please also ask your bank to quote the invoice number.  Kindly let the Society know when a payment is made as it can be difficult to identify them on our bank statements.

Please note that Eurocheques are not negotiable in the UK and, at the moment, it is not possible to pay be credit card.  A facility enabling us to do this is being arranged and will be available shortly. 

Members receive the Journal and Newsletters throughout the year to keep them up-to-date with Highland cattle affairs.  Our fieldsmen are available throughout the UK to give advice and assistance where required.

Overseas Breeders
The Society has an Overseas Section in the Highland Cattle Herd Book for the benefit of those members resident overseas who wish to register their pedigree Highland Cattle in the normal way. There is no difference between overseas breeders and UK breeders except overseas breeders have to bear the full cost of any fieldsman's inspections required.

List of Breeders
A list of active breeders can be found in the blue pages of the Journal denoting the health status of cattle. The information is provided by members and any person requiring up-to-date information regarding a particular fold should contact the breeder direct. Testing for health is privatised and conducted by a number of different organisations. Your Divisional Veterinary Officer (in the UK) should be able to give you information about current schemes.

If you want to buy Highlanders you may wish to contact Breeders in your area to find out whether they have any cattle for sale which might satisfy your requirements.

Since 1990 there has been a ban preventing the export of live cattle from the United Kingdom to many other countries. The ban was imposed because of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in some British cattle. However, some overseas breeders do register cattle in our Herd Book and you may care to contact them direct. They are listed in the Directory of Folds (blue pages) in the Journal.

Official Society sales of Highland Cattle are held in Scotland at Oban, Argyllshire in February and October and an official sale is held in the autumn in England. Official sales are advertised in the farming press: 'The Scottish Farmer', 'Farmers Guardian' and 'Farmers Weekly' and online. Sale catalogues are available on request from the office.

Sales of Highland Cattle are held elsewhere on occasion: at Perth, Fort William, Dingwall, Melton Mowbray, and York, but these are not under the auspices of the Highland Cattle Society.

If you intend to breed and register pedigree Highland Cattle your animals should be correctly transferred into your ownership in accordance with the Society's rules and regulations.

Cattle purchased at official Society sales are automatically transferred to purchasers (whether or not they are members) and pedigree certificates are issued to all purchasers for animals whose registration in the Highland Cattle Herd Book is complete.

Cattle purchased by private sale must be dealt with using the Society's Transfers system.

For females of pure Highland type with no known pedigree there is an Appendix Register.

Semen from Highland bulls
Semen from pedigree Highland bulls is available from Genus plc. Please telephone Genus Customer Services, Crewe, Tel: 0 (44) 870 1622000 who will put you in touch with your local representative.

When the birth of a calf got by artificial insemination (A.I) is notified, the breeder must provide the AI certificate showing the identity of the bull from which semen has been used, the identity of the cow inseminated, and the date of insemination as proof of parentage of the calf.

Local Breeders' Clubs
The Society encourages the formation of local clubs to enable breeders to meet in their own locality. The clubs hold meetings throughout the year which include talks and demonstrations so newer members can have the chance to benefit from the knowledge of experienced breeders.