| British Alpine | |
| Image Alt: | a black goat with Swiss markings sitting in a green field |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Standard: | British Alpine Breed Society |
| Use: | milk |
| Weight: | average 64 kg |
| Maleweight: | 77 kg |
| Femaleweight: | 59 kg |
| Maleheight: | 91–97 cm |
| Femaleheight: | 76–81 cm |
| Coat: | black with white Swiss markings |
| Type: | dairy |
| Horns: | horned or polled |
The British Alpine is a British breed of dairy goat bred in the early twentieth century. It is black with white Swiss markings on the face.
The foundation stock included a nanny with this colouration acquired in Paris in 1903 and goats of other breeds, probably including the Swiss Grisons Striped and Toggenburg and the now-extinct Sundgau of Alsace, as well as some native British goats.
There are large numbers in Australia, and its conservation status world-wide is not at risk; in the United Kingdom it is an endangered breed, with fewer than five hundred head.
The British Alpine was bred in the early twentieth century, principally from goats originating in continental Europe, particularly from Switzerland. The foundation animal was a nanny named Sedgemere Faith, black with white Swiss markings, acquired from the Jardin Zoologique d'Acclimatation of Paris in 1903. Breeds including the Bündner Strahlenziege ('Grisons Striped') and Toggenburger of Switzerland and the now-extinct Sundgau of Alsace are thought to have contributed to the development of the breed, as did some native British goats. It was officially recognised for showing in 1921, and in 1925 a section was opened for it in the herd-book of the British Goat Society. A breed society, the British Alpine Breed Society, was formed in 1979.
It was introduced into Australia in 1958, and has been exported to several other countries, among them Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa in Africa, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean and Argentina and Brazil in South America. A population of was reported in 2023 for the United Kingdom. The only country reporting a population in the thousands is Australia, where in 2022 the total number was estimated at ; it is also the only country where the conservation status of the breed is "not at risk".
The British Alpine is a large long-legged goat, with an average weight of about . It may either have horns or be naturally polled. The profile of the face may be concave or straight.
The coat is fine and short; it is black with white Swiss markings on the face, with white markings also on the rump, the margins of the ears and the lower legs.
British Alpines are excellent milkers, well known for their extended lactations. They also have a well-known ability to keep milking through the colder months. These goats have good-sized teats, which allow easier milking. They are a good producer of high-quality milk.
Average daily milk yield in the United Kingdom was calculated from measurements in about 2004 at with fat and protein.
British Alpines are active goats. They are not suited to indoors or feedlot-type operations, they perform their best free-range.