The Rules/Constitution of the NFRS

The Rules/Constitution of the NFRS

Here are the Rules of the NFRS, as ratified at the Annual General Meeting held in August 2023.

They are also available as a PDF Document (combined with the Show Regulations), a link for which can be found below.

Should you have any queries, please contact the Hon. Secretary (secretary@nfrs.org).

CONSTITUTION

I. TITLE

• The Society shall be called the “National Fancy Rat Society”.

II. OBJECTIVES

1. To promote the propagation, study and exhibition of fancy rats.
2. To publish one set of standards by which fancy rats shall be judged.
3. These standards to be the only criteria used by breeders, judges and show committees in the breeding of rats and awarding of prizes.
4. To support the showing of rats and to foster and maintain a high standard of excellence in judging and show management.
5. To take all necessary steps to advance and protect the interest of fancy rats, both as exhibition animals and pets.
6. To educate and encourage members to adopt and maintain high standards of management and care of fancy rats consistent with current agreed practice.
7. To encourage all members of the NFRS to take a responsible attitude when passing on rats to other people and to adhere to best practice guidelines.

1. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

• For the purpose of amending the Constitution, an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) must be called by no fewer than 30 members of the society, or a two-thirds majority vote of the whole Executive Committee (EC).
• If 30 or more members call an EGM, they shall sign a petition stating any proposed amendment(s) to the Constitution, and shall forward this to the Chairman and Hon. Secretary not fewer than 28 days before the date of the proposed meeting. The date and place of the EGM will be decided by the EC.
• The Hon. Secretary will circulate full particulars of the meeting and any proposed amendment(s) to the Constitution to all members of the society recorded at the time. There is no provision for votes by proxy or post at such an EGM.
• At an EGM to amend the Constitution, 30 members present shall constitute a quorum.
• An amendment to the Constitution may only be passed at the EGM by a two-thirds majority vote of those members present. Each amendment shall be voted upon separately. Any agreed amendment shall be referred to the EC for ratification.
• The EC, every 10 years starting from 2002, will review the Constitution and present the findings for ratification at the AGM.

2. AFFILIATIONS

• The society may accord affiliation with/to an organisation whose aims and objectives are similar to and in sympathy with the NFRS. All affiliations will be reviewed as necessary.

3. MEMBERSHIP

1. There shall be four grades of membership, namely:
1. Adult (within UK)
2. Family (within UK)
3. Concessions (Junior or Senior, within UK)
4. Overseas
2. Life membership shall be awarded for services rendered to the Society if approved at an Annual General Meeting (AGM).
3. Membership shall be open to all persons in sympathy with objectives of the Society.
4. Junior members shall be at least six years old and not more than sixteen years of age. They may enjoy privileges of ordinary membership, except the right to vote in the annual election and at meetings, or hold any official position.
5. Senior members shall be at least 65 years old.
6. Application for membership, accompanied by remittance of the appropriate subscription, shall be submitted to the Membership Co-ordinator (MC) who is empowered to withhold membership until the next committee meeting. The EC then may grant membership or, in some cases, invoke Rule 5 if it is felt necessary.
7. Payment of the first subscription shall be deemed to mean that the member agrees, and consents, to be bound by these rules.
8. A register of the names and addresses of all members shall be kept by the MC and a separate copy stored elsewhere. Access to this register shall be co-ordinated by the MC adhering at all times to current Data Protection legislation.
9. Family memberships have one vote per adult up to two named adults at the same address, both at the AGM and on the committee.
10. All members who wish to use the online NFRS forum must agree to abide by the current published forum rules.
11. A discount for “digital” memberships may be offered for each membership grade. No physical membership pack will be posted. A digital copy of Pro-Rat-a will be emailed to the member. It is each member’s responsibility to ensure their email address is kept up to date by liaison with the MC. Members with digital memberships should not forward Pro-Rat-a to non-members.

4. SUBSCRIPTIONS

1. The annual subscription shall run for twelve months from the date the application is received, in accordance with the rates approved at the previous year’s AGM. If members wish to renew their membership prior to renewal, it will be at revised rates. Payment must be made in sterling. If members wish to renew their subscription at the AGM it must be at the revised rates.
2. New memberships to run for twelve months from the date of joining, in accordance with the rates approved at the previous year’s AGM.
3. A member whose subscription is in arrears may not take part in any proceedings of the Society at the AGM, nor compete for special prizes offered by the Society, nor enjoy any privileges of membership unless a satisfactory explanation is forthcoming.
4. The EC shall have the power to waive payment of the subscription of any special cases.

5. SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION OF MEMBERS

1. Any member or proposed member whose behaviour is considered harmful to the NFRS, its members, seriously affects the welfare of animals at a club meeting, or where a serious breach of the rules has occurred, shall be called to give account of their actions by the committee. This shall be restricted to occasions held under NFRS auspices. Affiliated societies can request that we also consider harmful actions taken at their events by NFRS members under this rule.

   The EC shall give the person concerned 14 days’ notice of the hearing, to which they may either submit a written reply, send a representative or attend in person. The person shall have the right to bring another member to the meeting with them.

   At least five members of the committee must be present at the hearing and these must not include the person under investigation or their representative.

   Following the meeting, whether or not the person attends, the EC may:

   1. Expel the member or refuse membership in the case of a proposed member.
   2. Suspend the member for a set period of time, during which they shall take no part in society activities, shall not receive Pro-Rat-a and shall return all NFRS property including any cups etc.
   3. Warn the member as to their future behaviour.
   4. Withdraw the complaint if it is not upheld.
   
   

   The committee’s decision will be given in writing.

   Within 14 days of the committee decision, the member shall have the right of appeal to an EGM, whose decision shall be final. The member will have to inform the Hon. Secretary within those 14 days of their wish to appeal. If they do so then the Hon Secretary shall inform all members, giving at least 28 days’ notice of the date and venue of the EGM and stating the object of the meeting, at which no other business can be discussed.

   There is no requirement to obtain signatures to call this meeting, but if no fewer than eight persons, not including the person under investigation, attend, then the earlier EC decision stands.

2. Any persons shown to be bringing malicious complaints to the committee shall be deemed in breach of the rules and shall be subject to disciplinary action.
3. Any persons holding any NFRS property or money, who does not return it within three months of a formal committee request (in writing), shall be suspended from membership until its return. The NFRS retains the right to refer the matter to the appropriate authorities.
4. If the membership of a person ceases for any reason but they subsequently re-join, then their period of membership shall be as from the date of re-joining unless they pay back all due memberships.
5. Suspended members are not allowed to enter or attend any show run by the NFRS.

6. OFFICIALS

• The annually elected Officers of the Society shall consist of ten:
1. President
2. Chairman
3. Hon. Secretary
4. Hon. Treasurer
5. General Show Secretary (GSS)
6. Membership Co-ordinator (MC)
7. Committee Member
8. Committee Member
9. Committee Member
10. Committee Member
• In addition, the following six posts shall be appointed by the EC as necessary and are not subject to election:
11. Archivist
12. Standards Officer
13. Journal Editor
14. Pet Awards Scheme Co-ordinator
15. Rosettes, Cups & Show Administrator
16. Web & Forum Administrator
17. Social Media Co-ordinator
18. Judges Training Co-ordinator

7. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC)

1. The affairs of the Society shall be conducted by an EC as enumerated in Rule 6 above.
2. Arising out of Society affairs, the EC shall have the power to decide any matter or arbitrate in any dispute not provided for in these rules.
3. Should any vacancy occur on the EC, the EC may, at its discretion, fill the vacancy until the next election.
4. The EC may co-opt further committee members as necessary.
5. Co-opted and appointed members of the committee shall all have voting rights unless specified otherwise.

8. MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. Meetings of the EC shall be convened by the Chairman/Hon. Secretary when necessary, and at least 14 days’ notice of a meeting shall be given to each member of the EC. Any member of the EC, on a matter of sudden importance, may ask the Chairman/Hon. Secretary to convene an EC meeting.
2. A quorum shall consist of five members.
3. The EC may hold a meeting at any time but, in any case, should hold a minimum of three each year; the AGM to count as one and the others at convenient intervals.
4. Other business of the EC may be conducted upon the NFRS forum or by telephone. The Hon. Secretary shall record the voting, and this mode of procedure shall be as conclusive and binding as if a meeting had been held. Matters dealt with under this section are not subject to 14 days’ notice as specified in Rule 8(a).
5. At any meeting where the Chairman is not present, the members shall elect another Chairperson according to consent.

• Rules for Committee Members
• Anything discussed at committee meetings or within the confines of the committee area of the NFRS forum, is to be kept confidential and not discussed with other people or members outside of the forum and most definitely not copied and pasted. Sometimes we do discuss sensitive subjects and it would not be good for the society or members if this information is leaked.
• Committee members are to be expected to take part in committee business on the NFRS forum and at meetings. Failure to log on to the forum for three months will initiate investigation from other committee members and the committee shall decide on any action taken if needed. If they need help or to take a small break at any time for personal reasons, they need to notify another committee member so that substitution can be made to allow business to run as normal.
• If a committee member has to stand down at any time for any reason, they can do so by informing two other committee members by phone, email or post. They can be replaced by a majority vote of the existing committee at any time during the duration of the post.
• If any committee member should be thought to be using their position to bully or intimidate other members then this shall be fully investigated. If this is indeed to be found to be the case then they shall be removed from office.
• Committee members must claim any expenses in accordance with 11 d). Any committee member that fails to claim within the timescales given will be ineligible for reimbursement.

9. GENERAL MEETINGS OF MEMBERS

1. The AGM of the members of the Society shall be held at a time, date and venue most convenient to members, in conjunction with a social function where possible. The meeting may be held online to enable a larger attendance. If held online, any certificates and trophies will be posted to their recipients or handed over at the next physical event.
2. Except in the case of a proposal to amend the Constitution (see Rule 1), eight members present shall form a quorum at General Meetings.
3. Proposals should be sent to the Hon. Secretary in time for inclusion with committee nominations for publication as per Rule 10. The Chairman shall, however, have the discretion to accept a proposal, notice of which has not been given.
4. A member who is not present may have their views read out by the Chairman.
5. Except in the case of a proposal to amend the Constitution (see Rule 1), EGMs may be called by 20 members of the Society who shall sign a petition stating the object of such a meeting, and shall forward it to the Chairman/Hon. Secretary no fewer than 14 days before the date of the proposed meeting. The date and place of such a meeting shall be decided by the EC.
6. The Society may, at any time, be dissolved by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of those present and at least 28 days’ notice of such a meeting shall have been sent to all members of the Society. Such resolution may give instructions for the disposal of any assets held by, or in the name of, the Society, provided that if any assets remain after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, such assets etc. shall be given or transferred to such organisation(s) having objectives similar to some or all of those of the Society that the meeting may determine.

10. ELECTIONS

1. The annual election of officials shall take place as early as possible after 31st July.
2. Advertisement must be placed within the May/June Pro-Rat-a and by 1st May on the NFRS forum by the Hon. Secretary seeking nominations from all those who wish to stand for committee for the next AGM.
3. Those who wish to stand for committee positions must send their intent in writing by post or email, by the advertised date in Pro-Rat-a and on the forum. The advertised date must be no fewer than 10 weeks before the AGM. The nominee must clearly state which committee position they wish to stand for and also include an election statement for publication in Pro-Rat-a and on the forum. Each nominee must be proposed and seconded by other fully paid up NFRS members. Incumbents do not need to send in nominations for their current posts, but can, if they wish, provide election statements to the Hon. Sec. if they are informed that their current position is being contested
4. After completion, the nominations and proposals shall be scrutinized by the EC.
5. If any election is required, this will be held using a method the EC decides to be most appropriate. For example, a postal ballot or online voting system.
6. A returning officer must be chosen. The RO must not be in the EC. They will be responsible for administering the online voting or collecting postal votes, and will liaise with the EC to do so.
7. Junior members cannot be included in the annual elections and should not be sent ballot papers or links to vote.
8. Anyone who votes must be a fully paid-up member of the Society.

11. ACCOUNTS

1. The Hon. Treasurer shall be responsible for the funds of the Society and shall keep a banking account for all monies received and paid on behalf of the Society, and shall present an audited statement of income and expenditure to the AGM.
2. The balance sheet shall be audited by a person or persons elected by the EC and they shall not be a member of the EC.
3. All monies must be sent to the Hon. Treasurer within six weeks of receipt. To comply with the Cheques Act 1992, all cheques should be payable to the ‘National Fancy Rat Society’ or ‘NFRS’.
4. All claims for reimbursement by fully paid up members must be made within 3 months of the date that costs were incurred. Any claims made outside of this time-frame can only be agreed by the committee. All invoices/claims presented to the NFRS Treasurer for payment must be settled within 28 days.
5. No reimbursement will be considered unless a receipt is produced.
6. No payment will be made by the Society without prior consultation with the Hon. Treasurer.

12. INSPECTION OF DOCUMENTS

• The minutes, accounts and all documents relevant thereto shall be open to inspection by members on request to the EC in writing, taking into account current Data Protection regulations.

13. ALTERATIONS TO RULES AND STANDARDS

1. Subject to the provision of the next succeeding sections, the EC shall have the power to make rules and standards, or alter, rescind or add to any existing rule or standard at the any time if they deem it expedient in the interests of the Society to do so. All such rules and standards shall be submitted to the members at the next AGM for confirmation.
2. Before a rule or standard may be made or varied, the majority of the members of the EC voting shall be in favour.
3. Other than in exceptional circumstances, no show regulations to take effect until published in Pro-Rat-a or upon the NFRS forum.

14a. RATTERY & STUD REGISTRATION AND NOVICE AWARD

1. A rattery or stud is defined as a collection of animals (rats) kept and bred at one location.
2. No more than one rattery name or stud name can be registered per membership.
3. Any multiple memberships per rattery name or stud name must reside under the same roof.
4. Custody of registered rattery names or stud names remains with the partner who registered or earned it. Any disputes shall be referred to the EC whose decision shall be final.
5. Registered ratteries and studs will be listed on the NFRS website and regularly published in Pro-Rat-a.
6. The registered name shall be used as a prefix on family trees/birth certificates of rats bred by a registered rattery or stud. A suffix can be used to show the location of the rat if it is not owned by the breeder, e.g. Vicinalis Waterloo Sunset at Rivendell.
7. All breeders wishing to be listed on the NFRS Breeders’ List must be registered as a rattery or stud.
8. Ratteries must enter their rats at shows under their given name and not their rattery name. Only registered stud names can have their stud name written on prize cards.
9. Rattery and stud applications should be accompanied by a proposed prefix.
10. Rattery names must be unique, under 20 characters long including any spaces and distinct from any currently registered prefixes. Rattery names should not be offensive or subject to copyright laws Where any membership chooses to register a rattery under a name that could to be contrary to copyright legislation then the NFRS accepts no responsibility.
11. Suggested prefixes are subject to approval by the committee.
12. Stud names not belonging to current members will be protected in perpetuity. Rattery names not belonging to current members will be protected for five years.
13. The owner of the prefix will be held responsible for any dispute arising from their choice of prefix. The NFRS accepts no responsibility for any legal action or dispute even if the name has been approved.
14. All NFRS registered studs and ratteries, or any member seeking to home rats and including their affiliation with the NFRS as a stud, rattery or member as part of that homing process, will display the following statement prominently at point of sale on any website, advert, or other social media page or platform, whether online or not. NFRS forum sales, however, are exempt.
    
    

    "The NFRS maintains a list of its studs and ratteries as a convenience but doesn't endorse any stud, rattery or member. Therefore it accepts no responsibility for any rats, including rescues, homed by me.”

    Any registered breeder who fails to comply will first receive a written warning from the committee. If they do not comply within 7 days following the warning, they may have their registration revoked.

14b. Registering a rattery

1. Members can apply to register a rattery name after 12 months of membership.
2. Rattery registration is simply a paid-for listing of a rattery name. Ratteries should be mindful of this when advertising ratteries and kittens on websites and other forms of social media, and avoid using wording or imagery that suggests they are in any way approved or inspected by the NFRS. The EC may, at its discretion, contact ratteries to request removal of any media which they find to be suggestive of NFRS endorsement or approval.
3. When applying to register a rattery with the NFRS, members will need to submit three different suggested rattery names (not just variations of the same thing) and the fee at the current agreed rate to the EC, who shall vote on it. If there is a name requested that is contentious due to being similar to0 another current rattery or stud name, then the committee are to check with that member to see if they would be happy for it to be used. The applicant shall then be informed within 28 days as to whether their application has been successful.
4. Any rattery registered as a partnership should elect one party at the time of registration who will retain the rattery name in case of a dissolution of the partnership.
5. Any rattery wishing to change rattery name must pay an additional fee at the same published rate as the initial registration fee. Amended rattery names must also be approved by the EC.

14c. Novice Awards

1. Any registered breeder who has not yet qualified for a stud name, is eligible to enter their rats for the novice award, given at all shows where NFRS stars are awarded.
2. To be eligible, the rat must be bred by and in the possession of the novice exhibitor at the time of entry. The rat must have lived with the breeder since birth.
3. The novice points are calculated annually and the winner awarded the trophy.
4. If the exhibitor gains their stud name in the year, the novice points will count until the time it is awarded, when the exhibitor is no longer eligible to enter.

14d. Stud Name Registration

1. All wins must be earned under an NFRS championship/show judge.
2. The individual(s) must be paid up member(s) to qualify for earning a stud name and have a rattery name already registered with the NFRS as part of the Novice Rattery Registration scheme for at least one year.
3. The rat(s) in question must be owned and bred by the individual from a dam(s) also owned and bred by the exhibitor and attain either of the following awards:
   
   1. NFRS silver champion – 8 stars on one rat.
   2. 2 x BIS/BOA/RBIS on one or two rats with two different judges. At least one win must be a show where NFRS stars are awarded – the other may be at a NFRS affiliated club show, providing the NFRS judge agrees in writing (or signs back of card) that the rat is of suitable quality.

   The application must be made to the Standards Officer along with supporting prize cards for the rat(s), the suggested stud name and the registration fee at the current rate.

15. PROVISIONAL STANDARDS

1. The proposed variety shall be distinct from any standardised variety.
2. Sterility in one or both sexes shall not necessarily disqualify a provisional standard if there is good chance that this can be controlled by selective breeding. The committee, however, reserves the right to withhold the right to show those mutations that are deemed inherently harmful to the rat.
3. Homozygous lethals (that is, mutations where a double dose of that mutation is fatal) are not disqualified where the heterozygote is distinctive and healthy.
4. Before showing a provisional standard variety for the first time, a member should apply to the Standards Officer enclosing the following information:
   1. Proposed name of the provisional standard. This should, wherever possible, follow established usage in other fancies.
   2. Proposed exhibition standard of provisional standard. This must conform to the layout of existing standards. Where necessary, the Standards Officer will advise. Standards must reflect the ideal and not describe the animals(s) to be shown. However, it should take account of the animal’s genetic make-up.
   3. Full information on the discovery and creation of the provisional standard together with parentage. If possible, a genetic description of the provisional standard should be provided.
   This information will be scrutinised by the Standards Officer, who will advise on any necessary alterations. This information will then be passed on to the committee who will have the final say on accepting the variety. This process is not necessary if another fancier has already posted a standard. Where differing standards are submitted and there is a dispute, this will be arbitrated upon by the EC whose decision will be final.
5. It is the duty of the Standards Officer to send a copy of the new standard, when accepted, to the General Show Secretary (GSS), who will then pass it on to the judges and show secretaries.
6. The variety may be shown in the Provisional Standard class when approved by the committee.
7. In order to progress out of the Provisional Standard class into standard classes, the breeder needs to pay attention to the following points:
   1. Improve the rat in line with the standard, correcting any faults.
   2. Show regularly in order to educated judges and other fanciers and to publicise the variety.
   3. Get other breeders to take up the variety.
   The standard may need alteration during this time; the Standards Officer will advise.
8. When it is considered that the variety has improved sufficiently to be able to make a good account of itself then the committee will consider it for a Guide Standard. During this time, the breeders should maintain contact with the Standards Officer to let them know of any developments.
9. Guide Standard rats shall be shown in the Guide Standard class. After two years the standard shall be reviewed. The variety may then be: i. retained in the Guide Standard class for a further year, ii. progress to Full Standard, or iii. be demoted to Provisional Standard class.
10. Any Provisional Standard not shown at least twice within a specified three-year period shall be deregistered. They may be reregistered if there is enough interest shown by breeders. That is at least two breeders who are actively breeding and promoting them.