No ARBA, no breed standards, obscure shows. What would be your approach?

[Naelin]

Hello!

As a bilingual person who does most of my research in English, I see most information about rabbit breeding goes back to ARBA, its standards and its shows, even outside the USA.
Much to my surprise when I tried to research the equivalent of ARBA and its shows in Argentina I hit... nothing. Well, I learned that to show rabbits I need to tattoo them with the number from a registrar that is mentioned a grand total of three times on the whole internet.

I will spare you the many details, but let's say that whatever structure or standards there are, they are aimed only at big industrial farms and not available to the general public.

Thinking about it, I wondered how breeders in more structured places would act in such a situation, and I'd like to hear your opinions.
If YOUR country was sort of "Free for all", shows banished and ARBA/your country's standards suddenly meant nothing to your peers, would you do anything different? Would you pick a foreign standard to adhere to? Would you make different decisions when choosing your culls? Would you try to create structure?

 

[MsTemeraire]

On Facebook there is a kind of World Rabbit Group, and I see there's a few people from Argentina. I don't know if that would be helpful? https://www.facebook.com/groups/4431637100204277
The group's owner, Rudy Pauwels, is an International judge from Belgium, so he might be someone who could help you.
Rudy Pauwels

The Fauve de Bourgogne isn't an ARBA breed, so i would probably choose the breed standard from the country of origin. From being on that group I have learned that breeds do differ among European countries and the Fauve is one of the breeds that does, with some visible differences between French, German and Swiss rabbits for example.

French Fauve de Bourgogne breed standard (French breed club website)
Breed Standard (in French)

Europe also has the EE breed standards, which are something that all Europeans can breed towards in order to compete at the EE European Championship show open to all countries, held every few years.
Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture (EE)

Also, the British Rabbit Council recognises Fauves but the breed standard is probably the same as the French, or possibly the EE one.

There is also the Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Conjeos de Raza in Spain, which has a Facebook page. They may have members from other Spanish-speaking countries.
ANCCR

 

[Naelin]

Thanks for your detailed answer MsTemeraire

I'm in many Argentina-based Facebook groups, but the equivalent to a national association was created in the 50's and its trace disappears somewhere in recent years.
I will probably abandon breeding pure fauves and move more towards standard rex and mutts with a focus on temperament, as st. rex are much rarer here and have more interesting colours. Right now I'm breeding mutts with a very good mutt buck and my fauve & Cali does. It's fun and frustrating that the breed standards are text in IMAGES though! Not very easy to translate that way
Edit: Through the links you sent I found the Fauve standard in spain. Very different to what you find here, as the standard requires wideband red, and the Fauves here all have white bellies.

My question is more aimed at entrepreneurial/community/breeding goals that could be good to aim for in this situation. At the moment I noticed that very few people here talk or even know about coat genes, so I was thinking of using that as a selling point and an educational opportunity for other backyard and small breeders (Those links to Spaniard groups will be very useful to figure out the Spanish names of genes and coats, thank you!)