The Kennel Club is freezing new applications to the Assured Breeders scheme, whilst the next step in reviewing the registrations model, including the Assured Breeders scheme, is underway.
The review process, which is underpinned by research and insights from breeders, aims to ensure The Kennel Club’s registrations offering gives relevant and valued benefits to breeders and celebrates and rewards good breeding practice.
Whilst the process is underway, including a review of best practice embedded within the Assured Breeders scheme and how elements of that can be applied to the registrations model for the wider benefit of dogs, new applications to the Assured Breeders scheme will be frozen.
For existing Assured Breeders scheme members, there will be no changes to the scheme and they will continue to receive the same level of support, benefits and resources as before.
Furthermore, a more flexible and support-based assessment approach will be offered to existing members. The Kennel Club will be ceasing UKAS Accreditation for the scheme from 30 May, which will allow the adoption of a risk-based, hybrid model of virtual assessments, alongside retaining some physical on-site assessments, with advice and support for those who need it. UKAS required that assessments were not advice led, so the change will enable The Kennel Club to offer more support to breeders as they fulfil the scheme requirements, which remain unchanged. The scheme will remain compliant with ISO 17065 standards.
Bill Lambert, Health, Welfare and Breeder Services Executive at The Kennel Club, said: “Assured Breeders are at the forefront of good breeding practice and it is critical that we find the best way forward for supporting all breeders, based on insights, research and conversations we have had, so that we can widen the relevance and benefits of Kennel Club registration and encourage best practice across the board.
“While we now work through the finer details of the review, which includes a close analysis of our offering to Assured Breeders, and what the future looks like in terms of our registrations model, we will be freezing applications from new members. We highly value our scheme members and will continue to ensure that we offer them the same high-quality support and service as always.
“We have also taken the decision to leave UKAS, which will enable us to be more responsive and flexible to the needs and wants of our members. UKAS accreditation was valuable in the early days of establishing the scheme but the UKAS assessment model limited the level of help, advice and support that could be provided to members during the assessment process. The assessment model was also linked to face-to-face assessments, and we know from the Covid period that there was support for a more risk-based hybrid model of virtual and face-to-face assessments.
“There will be no other changes at this time to the scheme as a result of this transition away from UKAS, and we remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards within our Assured Breeders scheme - our priority remains the health and welfare of dogs and giving the support needed, in the format required, to our valued Assured Breeders.
“We will continue to provide updates to our membership about any developments, as soon as we have them and thank them for their continued support and commitment to responsibly breeding the dogs that we are all here to represent."
FAQs for Assured Breeders:
Why is The Kennel Club ending UKAS accreditation for the Assured Breeders scheme?
Our UKAS status limited the amount of help and advice we could provide to members during the assessment process. This change enables us to be responsive and adapt to the needs of our members.
UKAS accreditation was also based on the face-to-face model of assessments. During Covid we operated using virtual inspections and we saw the benefit of introducing a more flexible, hybrid, risk-based model of combining virtual assessments, with on-site physical assessments, where extra support is needed or a higher risk is identified. It is this model that we will implement for the future.
We retain exactly the same quality framework and remain committed to operating the highest standards, operating to ISO 17065 compliance. There are no other changes at this time to the scheme as a result of moving away from UKAS.
When does UKAS accreditation for the Assured Breeders scheme end?
30 May 2024.
What changes will there be to the scheme as a result of the move away from UKAS?
The UKAS assessment model was linked to onsite, face-to-face assessments. The model we will use in the future will be a risk-based hybrid model of virtual assessments, alongside physical on-site assessments, with advice and support for those who need it.
The UKAS assessment model also limited the level of help, advice and support that could be provided to members during the assessment process, so we will now be in a position to offer a greater level of advice to our members..
There are no further changes to the scheme at this time and the benefits and resources all remain unchanged.
Will the Assured Breeders scheme retain the same, robust quality standards?
We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards within our Assured Breeder Scheme - our priority remains the health and welfare of dogs and for those already on the scheme, ensuring that we can give the support needed, in the format required.
We remain aligned to ISO 17065 standards and will continue to operate our internal quality management and independent audit.
The changes that we will be making will not diminish the quality of the scheme – but enable us to be more responsive to the needs of our members and offer additional support and advice.
I am a licensed breeder. How will the ending of UKAS accreditation impact my current licence star-rating, which was fast-tracked to a 4* or 5* rating, as a result of being on the UKAS accredited Assured Breeders scheme?
Your existing star rating is based on previous compliance history and your star rating will therefore not change whilst you still have your current licence.
Your previous compliance history means that you will also remain eligible for a 5* rating when renewing your licence. However, your local authority may choose to make changes to their inspection process as the inspector will need to ensure that you continue to maintain the higher standards.
Those applying for a new licence (who have never held a licence or whose licence has lapsed) would need to speak to their Local Authority if they wish membership of a formerly UKAS accredited scheme to be considered for any new licence applications.
I am due a visit soon and the RBA has contacted me - can I have a remote/virtual visit?
The hybrid assessment process will commence from 1st June when UKAS accreditation has ended and the RBA assigned will inform you what type of assessment will be undertaken.
Why are you freezing new applications to the Assured Breeders scheme?
The Kennel Club is freezing new applications to the Assured Breeders scheme, whilst the next step in reviewing the registrations model, including the Assured Breeders scheme, is underway.
Whilst the process is happening, including a review of best practice embedded within the Assured Breeders scheme and how elements of that can be applied to the registrations model for the wider benefit of dogs, new applications to the Assured Breeders scheme will be frozen.
It would be unfair to continue to accept new members to join a scheme which we know could be changing. The fairest approach is to freeze new memberships until the review of the registrations model and Assured Breeders scheme is completed and we can provide detail of what the future model may look like.
When will we know about any future changes to the Assured Breeders scheme?
We don’t have definitive timescales yet but are at a fairly advanced stage, having conducted the research and collected the insights needed about what is wanted from Kennel Club registration and having drawn out plans for what the future might look like. We are now looking at the detail around any future changes.
We will continue to provide updates to our membership about any developments, as soon as we have them and thank them for their continued support and commitment to responsible dog breeding.
Where should I go if I have further questions?
Any questions regarding these changes should be addressed to the scheme manager Liz Wharton, who you can email here.