Complaint/Arbitration Procedure

COMPLAINTS - SHOWS

Complaints against a judge or show committee must be accompanied by a $25 filing fee to the AGS office along with the complaint, well laid out and in writing. Three copies should be sent with the fee. (One for the chair of the Judges committee, one for the Complaints committee and one for the office files) This complaint must be filed, no more than 60 days after the occurrence. When the complaint is received and reviewed, the judge or show committee will be sent a certified letter , notifying them of the complaint, along with a copy of said complaint. They will have 30 days from the date of receipt, to respond directly to the Committee chairs about the allegations.

The two committees will work together to investigate the allegations and render a decision in writing to the AGS board for action and all parties will be notified of the Board decision within 60 days. Penalties can range from a letter of reprimand, to permanent suspension of judging privileges or in the case of a show committee, not being allowed to host a show for a specified period of time, depending on the circumstances of the complaint. If a judge fails to respond within the 30-day period, the office will be notified and there will be an automatic suspension of the judge’s license for one year.

COMPLAINTS- OTHER

Complaints may be filed in writing to the chair of the Complaints and Arbitration Committee for unethical practices pertaining to AGS records including but not limited to: registrations, classification, DHIR testing or milk stars and awards in order to ensure the integrity of these records.

The filing fee is twenty five dollars ($25), which shall be refunded if the complaint is found to be valid upon investigation and determination by the committee.

Upon receipt of a complaint, the committee chair shall inform the President of AGS in writing of the complaint. The committee will be charged with investigating the complaint by phone, letters, email, and/or personal interview. The committee shall make a final recommendation in writing, along with a summary of their reasoning, to the Board of Directors no later than 90 days after the complaint is received. That recommendation will be mailed to the President for presentation to the Board. The Board of Directors will determine whether to accept or reject the recommendation no later than 30 days after the written recommendation is received by the President. A written copy of that decision will be sent by registered mail to the involved parties no later than 15 days after such decision is made.

If the complainant disagrees with the decision, he or she may request an appeal to the Board of Directors. This request must be made in writing and received in the AGS office no later than 30 days after the receipt of the initial Board decision. The Board will make a final determination in writing and send it by registered mail to the involved parties no later than 60 days after receipt of the appeal. All decisions regarding appeals to a complaint shall be final.

Penalties: If a member is found guilty, penalties could include; temporary or permanent suspension of membership privileges which could include but not be limited to:

• Registering of animals by AGS
• Transferring of animals
• Milk testing
• Classification
• Voting privileges
• Publication of said suspension in the AGS VOICE and website

The BOD will not hear complaints pertaining to sales disputes, health issues of animals, etc. This is why AGS strongly recommends written sales contracts. If you feel you have a strong case in this type of issue, AGS recommends that you take civil action to resolve it.

AGS will not consider complaints by non-members or members not in good standing. (i.e., up-to-date memberships and no fees owing to AGS)

*Any committee member with a personal interest in the complaint will remove themselves from the committee and a substitute will be made by the Committee chair with the President's approval.

ARBITRATION

The chair of the Complaints and Arbitration Committee or any member of that committee is available to voluntarily arbitrate any given situation for a member. (Excluding complaints/arbitration concerning a judge)

Written contracts are HIGHLY recommended. When there is no written contract between the parties, the Fair Trade Rules, on page 44 will be used. All contact information between the involved parties will be given to the arbitrator; as well as any and all written information needed to settle the dispute.

AGS is a small organization, run mainly by volunteers, so please do not inundate this committee with frivolous requests. We are here, when all avenues of communication have been utilized and no resolution has been achieved.

All parties involved must agree in writing, prior to the committee beginning arbitration, that they will accept all decisions and awards of the committee. This agreement will also absolve AGS of any legal responsibility.

There is a $25 non refundable filing fee for this service.