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Issues and programs: R&D Research and development for the goat industry
Going into goats: Profitable producers' best practice guide
A goat industry best practice guide was identified by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Goat Industry Council of Australia (GICA) as the best way to support growth in the goat industry and contribute to the important task of securing the productivity, profitability and food safety of the industry. In developing Going into goats: Profitable producers' best practice guide, MLA drew upon the experience of more than 40 goat producers from across Australia who individually demonstrated best practice in their respective goat enterprises. The Going into goats guide explains the key principles for managing a profitable goat enterprise and provides a pathway for goat producers wanting to lift the productivity, profitability and sustainability of their goat enterprise. The guide was written by producers for producers and the principles contained within the guide are relevant to goat producers across all sectors including the goat fibre and dairy industries. The guide is recommended to all goat producers and those contemplating entering the industry. For more information visit the MLA website, or the guide can be purchased from MLA by phoning 1800 675 717 and costs $60 for MLA Members and $120 for non-members. Goat electrical stimulation meat quality project The Meat Quality Science & Technology Program (MQST) was introduced to develop processing interventions aimed at improving eating quality and processing efficiency for beef and sheepmeat. This technology is now being applied to goat meat. Electrical stimulation in sheepmeat processing has been shown to greatly reduce variability and enhance eating quality and it is expected that similar results will be achieved for goat meat. A project focussing on translating this technology to goat meat processing is currently underway. This study consists of a series of trials aimed at optimising settings and validating the technology by assessing meat quality traits. The project will involve an implementation strategy to ensure that the outcomes are communicated to the goat industry. Feasibility of selectively breeding polled goats Through industry consultation, GICA was encouraged to commission a study of the feasibility of breeding polled goats. Polled goats were identified as potentially having significant animal welfare, production and trade advantages compared with horned goats such as:
*The practice of dishorning is governed by animal welfare codes of practice. The review concluded that controlled breeding and selection for polled goats is possible however polled x polled goat joining cannot be recommended. This is due to the instance of the polled intersex syndrome (PIS) mutation which describes the situation where in polled x polled joining, 25% of female progeny will display intersex anomalies or be hermaphrodites. Horned animals can be crossed with poll animals without demonstrating the PIS mutation. This will result in a proportion of progeny being polled and may be of value to some production systems. Producer initiated research and development program MLA supports goat producer’s in developing better solutions for their management programs via the Producer Initiated Research and Development program (PIRD). The PIRD program offers groups of producers [10 or more] up to $15,000 to assist with R&D projects. This usually involves members staging trials on their own properties. Visit the MLA website for further details on the program and the latest funding rounds. Considerable research has been conducted into the reproductive seasonality of goats and the effect of nutrition and hormonal mechanisms on estrus. MLA has recently commissioned a review of the options available to the industry to stagger kidding times. This will present management alternatives that may allow producers to reduce the seasonality of supply of goat meat. Oral antiparasitic goat drench The manufacturer of animal health products Virbac has been working with MLA through the Donor Company program to develop an effective registered drench to control internal parasites in goats. Trials were conducted and a dossier of information presented to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) in 2005 as part of the registration process. The outcome is Caprimec Broad Spectrum Oral Antiparasitic Solution for Goats now available to the goat industry, find out more about Caprimec. |
