Statement to the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society in relation to termination of Council membership and role as Society judge – Sent to Society Prior to being posted online.
My tenure on the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society Council was terminated on 14 January 2025 and an email was sent to around 800 Society members on 27 January 2025. My “sanction” letter email refers to me being in breach of the Society Code of Conduct because of a conflict of interest and because I received a prior warning for my behaviour (in 2024). The email also refers to me being disqualified as a Society judge until 1 March 2027, after which date I will be able to reapply.
I deny the allegations of acting in conflict of interest and am still unaware of the nature of the complaint from 2024.
The purpose of this statement is to clearly put my position on the record and this has been prepared with assistance from my legal team. This matter has not just impacted my wellbeing but has also impacted my business. I have also received lots of messages from Society and non-Society members to understand what has gone on.
Disqualification of being a Society judge
Since 14 February 2014 I have been importing Valais Blacknose sheep into the UK. I was the first UK importer and I set up the first flock book in the UK with Grassroots. On 19 June 2015 I formed the breed society named the Valais Blacknose Sheep Breed Society UK with the help of one of our early customers. In 2020 the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society UK approached us to merge. The respective members voted to merge the two groups and a joint Council panel was formed.
It has proved difficult to progress to a Panel A judge because of the restrictions of the Society’s framework and opportunities. At the time of being a Panel B judge, the website stated that “Progression to an A Panel judge from a B Panel judge will be by invitation only and as long as no written sustained complaints have been received by the VBS” (see below). I have previously stepped up as a Panel A judge to fill in for an absent judge. I also have extensive judging experience outside the UK. In June 2024 I was invited to judge at the Black Sheep Gathering in Portland, USA by the USA Valais Blacknose Sheep Society. In summer 2024 I judged multiple shows and supported multiple society shows. Most of the requests for judging came because of my reputation in this niche industry.
Throughout my work with Valais Blacknose sheep I have made long lasting connections and raised my profile in the UK and abroad. I have worked with colleagues overseas to run courses. In particular:
- In August 2023 I organised a grading course in Switzerland with a colleague on using the Swiss methodology. The purpose of this course was to enhance the educational offerings to interested parties given the limited opportunities in the UK and to show people the cultural aspects of breeding these particular sheep.
- In August 2024 I was invited to co-teach courses in Sweden alongside my colleague and in October 2024 I spent six weeks in Sweden at a jubilee and teaching event, co-ran grading events and Norway and assisted with courses teaching washing, show preparation and judging.
- In December 2024 I organised events for American participants to travel to Switzerland for a grading course with my colleagues for March 2025 and September 2025.
The Society’s “grading explanation” states that grading “can only be officially carried out by qualified Oberwalliser Schwarznasen Schafzuchtverband/UK experts”. There is no definition of a “UK expert” because there is no legal framework for this and, due to the absence of regulation in sheep grading standards in the UK, individuals can establish societies with their own Pathway for judges. This makes the judges reliant on meeting the entry criteria which is subjective and assessed by a small network of individuals.
The ‘Judges Pathway’ page of the Society has been removed but there Is accessible here from an archived page of the website dated December 2024 and there is no reference to termination: https://web.archive.org/web/20241211224719/https:/valaisblacknosesociety.co.uk/judges-rules/.
The inference given from the wording about complaints being “sustained” in the Judges Pathway is that there will be some sort of investigation procedure and disciplinary process. I have not been made aware of one.
My belief is that the conflict of interest allegations have been framed against me because of my involvement with the offering of non-Society training courses and because of potential complaints from members outside of the Society which were unrelated to my role on the Council. The judging of Valais Blacknose Sheep, however, is not regulated by any legal criteria and instead is based on the Swiss Methodology, of which I have experience.
In correspondence, the Society set out to me:
“Further, by encouraging breeders from this country, and elsewhere, to bypass the approved training regime and the vital experience in judging Valais Blacknose sheep and encouraging them to go straight to a grading course in Switzerland, you are not supporting the principles of the VBS’ Judges’ Pathway. As a Council member you are corporately responsible for supporting and promoting the approach set out in the Pathway.”
“You may also have hindered the Council in securing places in 2025 for those, who by following the Pathway have shown sufficient skill and experience to progress to the final stage of becoming a Society affiliated grader in the Swiss tradition.”
I fail to see how I have fallen foul of any Society rule by running independent training courses, in the UK or abroad, and to implement a selection criteria for those. As long as I am not acting in conflict of interest, those courses have nothing to do with the Society. They do not allow judges to bypass the Judge’s Pathway as the terms are clear; that progression to a Panel A judge is by invitation only.
Termination of Society Council membership
In February 2024 I was elected to the Society Council. During my tenure I advocated for more opportunities for educational courses such as sheep grading courses. To date, the Society has not run any educational sheep courses but some regional clubs have run their own due to the demand.
It is a well known fact that I am involved with the organisation and delivery of Valais Black Nose sheep training courses. I have discussed these courses and events with the Society Council on many occasions. The basis of the allegations of acting in conflict of interest is that, when engaging in Society Council discussions about training courses for American colleagues, I did not declare my interest and withdraw. I am unclear on this point and deny the allegation insofar as I am unable to understand it. I am also alleged to have encouraged the Society Council not to allow American breeders to join UK Panel A judges on a Swiss
grading course. This allegations is also denied. The view I expressed was that there were paid members of the UK Society following the Society’s Judges Pathway who were unable to progress to becoming Panel A judges (because they lacked experience) and would benefit from the opportunity of a grading course in Switzerland instead of the American individuals, with which the Society has no membership affiliation. The Judges Pathway is open to UK members only and one of the key roles of the Society is to ensure that Pathway is functional. Advocating on behalf of UK members did not amount to a breach of my duty not to act in conflict of interest. The Society Code of Conduct is clear that Society Council Members are responsible for acting “on behalf of the Society in good faith for the benefit of the Valais Blacknose sheep breed” and that was the purpose of expressing my view. If Council Members were unable to express their opinions there would be no accountability, transparency or need for a Council.
The governance of a society relies on the effectiveness of its policies and achieving a balanced approached in their drafting. In my view, the broad drafting of the Society’s Code of Conduct for Members (‘Code of Conduct’) is ambiguous and has been unfairly applied to me with no opportunity to appeal it.
The Code of Conduct states:
4.3 Council members should avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people of organisations that might try to influence them. They should not act or take decision in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, or for family or friends.
4.4 All conflicts of interest should be avoided or, if unavoidable, they must be declared, whether pecuniary or personal, including where and how that interest affects either themselves or a member of their family. Such an interest will be minuted. The necessity to declare any interest is the responsibility of the member involved. It is not a declarable interest if it is held in common with all other Council members.
4.6 Failure of any Council member to abide by these rules may result in the member being the subject of a motion of ‘no confidence’ in that member. This could result in a member being suspended or removed form the Council. This type of motion can only be brought forward by the Chair of the Council.
It is clear that:
- If all members of Council were subject to a wide interpretation of clauses 4.3 and 4.4 the likelihood is that many would likely violate this provision.
- The Code of Conduct is limited as only the Chair of the Council can bring a motion of ‘no confidence’.
- The fact that there is no disciplinary procedure or appeal process is unfair and does arguably not align with the laws of natural justice.
A complaint was received in 2024. I am told that I received a disciplinary warning in 2024 because I “disrespected” the Chairman in respect of that complaint. The context is that I requested details of the complaint made. The response from the Chairman in a What’s App Group was,
“Hi Emma. You have been written 3 times now! By myself & secretary. Updates will be given accordingly at the next council meeting. Please respect this.”
The Society’s position is that my response:
“No I don’t respect it I’m sorry but this is something we should see. We are here to represent the members and we can’t make decisions with little information. I would like to have time to consider the issues that are at question.”
The Council’s position, however, is that I was acting in breach of clause 4.2 of the Code of Conduct:
“All Council members must treat fellow Council members, Society employees and all Society members with respect and a duty of care. They must not demonstrate any form of discrimination on the basis of gender, age, race, ethnic background, sexual orientation or in any other respect.”
To date, I have still not received details of the complaint and am awaiting a data subject access request for the details (request dated 7 April 2025). I stand by my request for the complaint details in advance of the Council meeting and cannot see how the request, or my comment, falls foul of the Code of Conduct.
Conclusion
In summary, my position is that the conflict of interest allegations against me are just that; mere allegations. I have not been informed of, nor invited to participate in, any investigation or disciplinary process that would provide me with a fair opportunity to present my case and ensure the principles of natural justice are upheld.
I believe the terms of the Code of Conduct and the Judge’s Pathway (which is no longer on the website) have been interpreted broadly in an attempt to make these allegations against me fit. The interpretation of those documents seems to go beyond the original intent and scope of the policy and this matter raises issues about the governance of unregulated Societies and difficulties progressing to a Panel A Judge through the Society.
I have made requests for my personal data from the Society to understand further details about the basis of the allegations with a view to challenging them.
I am seeking recourse from the Valais Blacknose Sheep Society in the following manner:
- A public apology for its handling of this matter and a public retraction of the statement dated 27 January 2025 which should be published to all members;
- The opportunity to be re-elected to the Society Council before 1 March 2027; and
- Immediate reinstatement as a Panel B judge.
In respect of the policies and procedures, I can only urge the Society to review urgently these in light of this matter.