How do you become a BVA-International judge?
Well, for a start, it is good to realise the title of BVA-International judge, is not a title for life. It is a title that you must earn every year and continue to substantiate.
How do you get started? If interested to become a judge, you have to participate in the BVA theoretical course on the genus Agapornis. This course is organized every two to three years by Ornitho-Genetics VZW. Every BVA-International member has the opportunity to register for this course.
This course consists of several days / webinars and during these lessons, the various lovebird species, their mutations, genetics, feather structure, pigments, international agreements/ guidelines etc. are extensively studied. They must also fallow the practical trainings given by the BVA-International judges. These courses are (for now) only given in Dutch. During this course/ trainings, the candidates have to pass several tests. The complete theoretical and practical training takes three years and after the candidate passes all the tests with more than 70%, he or she will receive the title of BVA-International judge for the upcoming year.
Please note: each BVA-International judge license is renewed annually by the TC.
The BVA-International judges are organising every year at least 4 practical trainings and 3 scientific trainings. The judges must attend at least more than half of them. If they don’t meet these quotas and/ or the judge remains absent from the future courses or no longer breeds lovebirds, the mandate expires immediately. That way, we prevent them from giving up all motivation ‘after obtaining their title’