DNA Letter of Agreement with NKR

As Registrar of the AKGA, I help members with registration issues concerning pedigrees and evaluate inclusion of goats from other registries, while serving as the contact between the AKGA Board and Associated Registries. I have been active as a director and officer with the AKGA for several years, including during the development of the DNA Sharing Agreement between the AKGA and the NKR in 2018.  I am attaching the agreement for transparency but want to address the email sent by NKR to its clients. [2018 Letter of Agreement]

The DNA Sharing Agreement arose to fill the needs of both AKGA members and NKR clients, and many breeders are both, including myself and many AKGA Board Members! Many years ago, the two groups were in conflict and did not share DNA information in either direction. Breeders were frustrated that they had to re-DNA goats in order to dual register them or be restricted to which registry they could use. When the DNA Sharing Agreement was finalized, breeders on all sides were pleased and welcomed the spirit of cooperation for the betterment of the Kiko breed. The UC Davis Vet Genetics Lab was also happy to avoid duplicated goats in their overall database which they use for research.

Since 2019, the two registrars have shared DNA Parentage Reports with one another, and this was never restricted to “new offspring.” In fact, on June 24, 2025, NKR requested DNA information on does born in 2015 and 2014, and I shared the information without question. Also, the registrars cooperate for the benefit of goat owners to solve genetic ‘riddles’ when goats do not match the parents or contradictory results show up in pedigrees. So, the ‘new’ AKGA Board has not changed our usage under the agreement. Instead, the ‘new’ owners of the NKR decided to unilaterally end the agreement. The AKGA remains open to discussion. Please review Objective #2 in the signed agreement.

On another issue, the AKGA is also not ‘filling voids’ in our herdbook as we do not publish the VGL Case number of goats not registered or dual registered with the AKGA, nor do we copy the VGL numbers of ancestors into our pedigree database. We use information printed on NKR certificates to list a goat’s ancestry, just as NKR does.

We think having a choice in registry is good for breeders as the organizations can provide what members or clients need, and the competitive spirit encourages innovation. The AKGA is a member-operated, non-profit breed association and has rules on registration requirements which are approved by the membership. By requiring stringent DNA testing, AKGA breeders can always be certain of the parentage. By contrast, the NKR is a private company that allows individual breeders to decide when DNA parentage testing is appropriate for their individual herds. Most top NKR breeders have excellent DNA records and protocols, but a few do not.

The AKGA will continue to support all breeders and owners in the pursuit of better goats through genetic excellence. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns or if you need a free copy of a Goat Parentage Report for a goat you own.