In order to be officially recognized, a breeders' organization or association which maintains or establishes a herd-book must:

1. 1.

   have legal personality in accordance with the legislation in force in the Member State where the application is made;

2. 2.

   prove to the competent authorities:

   1. (a)

      that it operates efficiently;

   2. (b)

      that it can carry out the checks necessary for recording pedigrees;

   3. (c)

      that it has a sufficiently large herd to carry out a breed improvement programme, or that it has a sufficiently large herd to preserve the breed where this is considered necessary;

   4. (d)

      that it can make use of the livestock performance data necessary for carrying out its breed improvement or preservation programme;

3. 3.

   have a set of rules covering:

   1. (a)

      the definition of the breed's (or breeds') characteristics;

   2. (b)

      the system for identifying animals;

   3. (c)

      the system for recording pedigrees;

   4. (d)

      the definition of its breeding objectives,

   5. (e)

      the systems for making use of livestock performance data,

   6. (f)

      the division of the herd-book, if there are different conditions for entering animals or if there are different procedures for classifying the animals entered in the book;

4. 4.

   have rules of procedure, adopted in accordance with its articles of association, laying down, in particular, the principle of non-discrimination between members.