The goat industry

Goats arrived in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788 and spread with settlers throughout the country. The original goats were a varied and hardy herd capable of utilising harsh Australian pastures to produce milk and meat.

Some of the first herd escaped into the wild and have evolved into the unique Australian rangeland goat. These goats have since contributed to the development of the modern Australian Cashmere and Angora breeds which have been invaluable to many farmers as they diversify their income. More recently these rangeland goats have become the mainstay of a growing goat meat industry.

From humble beginnings, the Australian goat industry is continuing to grow and evolve to meet increasing global demand for goat meat, milk and fibre.

Meat goats in Australia

Approximately 90% of total goat meat production is derived from rangeland-type animals while the balance is produced by more intensively managed meat, dairy and fibre goat production systems. Boer goats are the dominant specialist meat goat breed and were first introduced to Australia in the 1990s.

Australia is the largest exporter of goat meat and live goats in the world exporting:

• 19,000 tonnes of meat per annum to approximately 25 countries
• 50,000 live goats to 15 countries

Major markets have traditionally been the US and Taiwan for meat and Malaysia for live export.

Goat meat breeds

All goat breeds be they dairy, fibre, rangeland or specialist meat make a valuable contribution to goat meat supply however the two main meat breeds are rangeland goats and Boer goats.

• Rangeland
  Goat herds have developed and multiplied in areas which offer natural protection against predators. These goats have effectively adjusted to the environment to the extent that they no longer bear any strong resemblance to the original breeds.

The rangeland goat is the major source of goats for the goat meat processing industry. To ensure the continued development of a viable rangeland goat industry, producers have moved from opportunistic harvesting operations to increasingly managed production systems.

Improvements in the management of rangeland goats have led to increased returns for producers through increased supply and improvements in quality, carcase weights and consistency.

• Boer goats
  The Boer goat descends from the nomadic goats of South Africa and was introduced to Australia in the late 1980s, but not released from quarantine until 1993.

Boer goats have appealing traits in terms of meat production, fertility, maternal qualities and ease of management. They breed in most months of the year, providing consistent good quality carcasses and meat which is low in saturated fats and cholesterol.

Dairy goats in Australia

The Australian dairy goat industry is relatively small but geographically diverse.

The industry is well placed to service the increasing interest and demand from a sector of the general public searching for alternatives to cow’s milk and exotic cheeses.

There is also a small, high quality export market for stud dairy goats.

A typical dairy goat lactation lasts for 300 days and herd averages range from 2-3 litres per doe per day. At peak lactation this increases to 3.5 to 4 litres per day, with some individuals producing much more.

Dairy goat breeds

• Anglo Nubian
  The Anglo Nubian is an all-purpose goat, useful for meat, milk and hide production. Whilst they do not have the length of lactation or the quantity of milk produced by the Swiss breeds, the milk has a much higher butterfat content and the goat will breed out of season. This makes them a useful and desirable goat for many tropical countries wishing to upgrade local goat stock. They were introduced to Australia in 1954.

• Sanaan
  Saanen does are typically long lactating and high producing dairy goats with placid temperaments. An Australian Saanen held the world record for milk production for many years. These values contribute to the popularity and success of the breed in Australian commercial dairies.

Saanen is now the most common goat breed in Australia.

• British Alpine
  The British Alpine is a tall, rangy, highly active breed suited to open grazing and noted as a good milk producer, with better than average butterfat and solids-not-fat. The breed displays good winter milking with an extended lactation period.

• Toggenburg
  The Toggenburg goat originated in Obertoggenburg, Switzerland, where the purity of the breed was strictly regulated. It is credited with being the oldest known dairy breed of goat and was imported into Australia from Great Britain between 1947 and 1953.

The breed has become popular in Australia with both small farm operations and commercial dairies because of its excellent milk production.

• The Australian Brown
  Australian Brown breed was developed in Australia over the 1990's and recognised as a breed as recently as 2006. These goats are of a consistent type, tall and rangy with good dairy conformation and are known for long lactation and ease of milking.
  
  
• The Australian Melaan
  The Australian Melaan is a black goat breed developed in Australia and particulary well suited to the diverse and highly variable local production conditions. The breed, recognised in 2000, is considered hardy, disease resistant and highly productive with an intelligent and placid nature.
  

Fibre goats in Australia

Australian goats produce both mohair and cashmere.

• Mohair
  Angora goats produce mohair; a very long (120- 150mm), lustrous and resilient luxury fibre which is blended with other natural or synthetic fibres to give texture and luster to the finished fabric. Angoras are shorn every six months.

The Angora goat was named after the region in Turkey from which it originated and was introduced into Australia from France in the early 1830s. Numbers of Angora’s have expanded since the 1970s, with the Australian feral goat being used as a base breeding source.

Australian breeders have invested heavily in purchasing the best Angora genetics available, mainly from South Africa and Texas, and crossing it with the Australian Angora. Through this method breeders have been able to select a new type of Angora that is admirably suited to the Australian environment.

The Australian mohair industry was in decline with production falling from 1 million kgs in the late 1980’s to 250 000kg in 2005. The industry is now recovering due to a period of improved fibre and meat prices.

• Cashmere
  Cashmere is produced by Cashmere goats and is recognized as one of the world’s premium fibres, being luxuriously soft, warm and light. It varies in colour from brown to light grey to white and its diameter ranges between 11 and 20 microns.

Goats carrying the downy cashmere undercoat arrived with the First Fleet but lost their identity over the years, with many becoming wild. Cashmere goats in Australia have been bred from these wild or feral goats to produce the Australian Cashmere goat.

Fleeces from these goats contain coarse guard hair, which has no commercial value, and a fine downy undercoat called cashmere. While the feral goat may only yield 50gms of cashmere per year, purebred Cashmere goats will yield up to 300gms per year.

The cashmere industry is small and very price sensitive with current levels of domestic production at around 10 – 12 tonne (including hair) per year. Global demand for cashmere exceeds supply which presents opportunities for the industry to develop.