Goat farming involves the raising and breeding of domestic goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) as a branch of animal husbandry. People farm goats principally for their meat, milk, fibre and skins.
Goat farming can be very suited to production alongside other livestock (such as sheep and cattle) on low-quality grazing land. Goats efficiently convert sub-quality grazing matter that is less desirable for other livestock into quality lean meat. Furthermore, goats can be farmed with a relatively small area of pasture and with limited resources.
As with other herbivores, the number of animals that a goat farmer can raise and sustain is dependent on the quality of the pasture. However, since goats will eat vegetation that most other domesticated livestock decline, they will subsist even on very poor land. Therefore, goat herds remain an important asset in regions with sparse and low quality vegetation.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the top producers of goat milk in 2008 were India (4 million metric tons), Bangladesh (2.16 million metric tons) and the Sudan (1.47 million metric tons).[1]
| Country/Region | Total animals (millions) | Goat milk (MT) | Goat meat (million MT) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | ----- | 15.2 | 4.8 | |
| Africa | 294.5 | 3.2 | 1.1 | |
| Nigeria | 53.8 | N/A | 0.26 | |
| Sudan | 43.1 | 1.47 | 0.19 | |
| Asia | 511.3 | 8.89 | 3.4 | |
| Afghanistan | 6.38 | 0.11 | 0.04 | |
| Pakistan | 60.00 | N/A | N/A | |
| Iran | 16.00 | N/A | N/A | |
| India | 125.7 | 4.0 | 0.48 | |
| Bangladesh | 56.4 | 2.16 | 0.21 | |
| China | 149.37 | 0.26 | 1.83 | |
| Saudi Arabia | 2.2 | 0.076 | 0.024 | |
| Americas | 37.3 | 0.54 | 0.15 | |
| Mexico | 8.8 | 0.16 | 0.04 | |
| USA | 3.1 | N/A | 0.022 | |
| Europe | 17.86 | 2.59 | 0.012 | |
| UK | 0.09 | N/A | N/A | |
| France | 1.2 | 0.58 | 0.007 | |
| Oceania | 3.42 | 0.0004 | 0.018 |
Meat goats are farmed in all US states, although most meat goat production occurs in the Southeast. Texas is the primary producer of meat goats, representing 38% of US production.[2]
Male goats are generally not required for the dairy-goat industry and are usually slaughtered for meat soon after birth. In the UK, approximately 30,000 billy goats from the dairy industry are slaughtered each year.[3]