MALTING SUCCESS

GOAT

GOAT FARMING, IT SEEMS, IS ON THE RISE IN IRELAND, WITH MARKET OPPORTUNITIES HERE, IN EUROPE AND FURTHER AFIELD. CONOR FORREST SPOKE WITH TEAGASC ADVISOR CIAN CONDON TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SECTOR AND WHAT NEW ENTRANTS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR.

Traditional farming can be a difficult, challenging and often thankless job, with many Irish farmers struggling to cope with low prices, high input costs, or poor weather conditions, often just breaking even at the end of the year. It’s no surprise, then, that some farmers are considering their options, switching to alternative enterprises or seeking to add value and augment their income from other sources – anything from small herds of alpacas or an acre or two of snails to goats. Cian Condon, a Business and Technology Advisor for drystock and goats with Teagasc, receives several queries a week from farmers interested in investing in a goat herd, but is there enough room in the market for new entrants in search of a sustainable and profitable option?

“We have, for the last good number of years, been short of processors in the country. [But] there seems to be a big interest in people who want to go goat farming... there also appears to be a decent market for goat products out there,” Condon explains.

As with any farming enterprise, a cautious and wellinformed approach is best. For farmers looking to get into goat farming, the first thing to consider is if you will have an outlet for your product, whether it’s goat’s milk, meat or cheese. Condon notes that strength in numbers is the

Paul and Ami from Goat Ireland on the family farm.

way forward, and he’s made calls in the past for producer groups to be established in order to build scale and create a viable, year-round product.

“What we are currently looking at is the potential of getting farmer groups established, where you would get a number of like-minded individuals in a relatively small geographic area who would focus on going into goats and producing a product themselves in a producer group or co-op type format,” he says. “You then have a viable outlet for the farmers – they have their goats, they’re supplying the milk, and they also at least have some control over the product and what’s being processed or produced from it. Therefore you have the whole lot in one – you have the producers and the product in a single group.”

Ensuring you’ve got an outlet is one thing, choosing what your product will be is another. According to Teagasc, the goat’s milk market is more or less full at the moment, the result of a major influx of new entrants several years ago on the back of historic milk prices. The majority of the product is processed by Glenisk with the remainder going to a number of other processors. An increasing amount of this milk, says Condon, is being used for the production of goat’s cheese, which has seen significant expansion in recent years and is sold into markets in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. Its health benefits are lauded in particular – goat’s milk is more digestible than cow’s milk, has reported benefits for asthma sufferers, while soaps and creams made from goat milk can help relieve eczema symptoms.

If goat’s milk doesn’t sound like an attractive proposition, meat might be a better alternative – goat’s meat is one of the world’s favourite meats and is slowly gaining traction in Ireland. Like goat milk, the meat attracts the health-conscious with lower calories, fat, saturated fats and cholesterol than other popular meats while still high in protein. Again, Condon explains, there needs to be a producer group in place – some farmers may be rearing small numbers of goats and selling them to local butchers or restaurants, but problems can arise with a lack of consistency. “Without the product on-shelf, it’s hard to build demand,” he says. “[Customers should be able] to go to a central hub and to order whatever number or kilos of goat meat they want and that it will be possible within that network to source that product and to ship it out.”

And there’s a third option – the market for powdered formula. Goat’s milk powder benefits from a longer shelf life compared to liquid milk or soft cheeses, and there seems to be substantial demand for the product on a global scale, particularly from the likes of Southeast Asia. Opportunities are also available in the European market thanks to a change in legislation several years ago allowing goat’s milk protein to be used in the production of infant formula. “I just think it could be another arrow in our quiver to add in when we’re selling our cow’s milk powder to the Far East or the Middle East... goat’s milk could be added on to that and sold on as part of a range of products,” Condon says, making reference to Ireland’s competitive advantage in grass-based production. “If we could drive summer production of milk and make a lot of powder through the summer months as is done with the cow sector, it would be cheaper to produce goat’s milk in the country and make it viable to use and would take away the necessity to milk all-year long. There is room, really, to make our product cheaper, more environmentally-friendly, and make the farms more viable too.”

MAKING A LIVING

For those considering the production of goat’s milk to sell to a processor, the financial outlay could be substantial depending on what facilities you already have, but you would need to acquire a herd of 200 or more goats to make a decent living. If you simply want to add value to an existing enterprise, like the production of cheese, smaller numbers could be viable – perhaps 30 or 40 animals. A relatively small amount of land is required to farm goats, with a stocking rate of about seven goats per acre. Even for a large dairy enterprise, between 30 and 40 acres would be sufficient.

There are other points to consider too. Goats are browsers rather than grazers like sheep and cattle and when you let them into a field they’ll begin with the hedges and weeds before eating the grass – they don’t naturally feed on the ground. As a result, they don’t have a natural resistance to roundworms and serious parasite issues can be a concern. The majority of Irish farmers use grass silage or hay supplemented with concentrates to feed their herd.

Thought also has to be put into the type of goat you need and how to properly look after them. Contrary to popular belief, not all goat breeds are hardy creatures who can survive on little more than barren rock. While the Irish goat, subject to preservation efforts by the Old Irish Goat Society, is built for Ireland’s climate and the harshness of some Irish habitats, the goat breeds that are suited to milking are a different story.

“They aren’t weather-proofed for Ireland, their coat has no lanolin – if a goat puts on fat it puts it on internally, not under the skin, so the animals can get cold and can get wet very quickly and they’re quite prone to chilling,” says Condon. “At that point

then, you’re into trouble. If you’re getting into goats, even in small numbers, you need to provide shelter for them all of the time... that’s why a lot of the bigger herds are housed all of the time and either zero grazed or fed silage exclusively.”

The main breed used in dairy units are the Saanen, British Alpine and Toggenburg, with a small amount of Anglo-Nubian (known for the quality of its milk solids and sometimes used as a cross to elevate solids for cheese production). Ami Madden and her husband Paul, who started Goat Ireland (a goat meat enterprise) last year have opted for the Boer goat, a breed that originated in South Africa where goat meat is part of the staple diet.

“When we looked into it, there is no continuity of supply of goat meat in Ireland and very few produced specifically for meat. The idea was born that we could source goats as babies from dairies, where normally they would be culled,” she explains. “The whole family can farm together, the goats are quite tame because they have been bucket-fed. It’s great to see the children learning by doing that, that where your food comes from is so important. The satisfaction of producing a quality product from an animal that in essence was unused and killed at birth is a big factor. We don’t have to have a breeding herd to produce meat. All the animals come from goat dairies and we call them 50/50s – that’s half Boer, half dairy goat.”

OPPORTUNITIES

At present there is plenty of scope for increased support and representation for this sector – Condon believes that goat farmers have fallen through the cracks to some extent, not deliberately but due to the prevalence of other types of farming. Goat-specific legislation is not yet available but goat farmers can avail of general on-farm funding initiatives or those available for product development.

“It’s so new here that there are not a lot of supports for goat farmers, particularly those wanting to rear meat. We have learned so much so quickly about goats, we really threw ourselves into the deep end.” Ami adds. “We would advise that you gain a lot of knowledge and hands-on experience with goats before making the leap. Goats are not like sheep and cause different daily issues.”

Research is key for any new entrant. If there’s a goat farmer nearby, talk to them about their operation, the positives and the challenges – if there’s a job going it’s a great way to get some hands-on experience of what needs to be done on a daily basis. Or you could talk to Teagasc, which are currently conducting research on the future of the industry, and seek its advice on the right breeds, herd management and how to get started and, above all, how to ensure you’ve got an outlet for your product.

“There definitely is renewed interest from Ireland and abroad for goat products, specifically Irish goat products,” says Condon. “It’s a tough road, everything is outlet, but if somebody is interested in doing a bit of hard work, there is room in the marketplace for goat products.”

Goat Farming: First Steps

Make sure there’s an outlet for your product.

Gain experience – visit other, established, well-run and profitable goat enterprises, source work on a goat farm, complete Teagasc’s Introduction to Goat Farming course or Goat Ireland’s on-farm knowledge transfer course.

Plan your facilities and land requirements, as well as the necessary financial arrangements.

Register with the Department of Agriculture for a herd number and livestock tags.

BUILDING theFUTURE

EAR TO THE GROUND

DISCOVERS MORE ABOUT THE WORK OF THE IRISH FARM BUILDINGS ASSOCIATION.

Farming is an occupation that requires constant investment. Machinery breaks down or becomes obsolete and must be replaced to keep up with the competition. Livestock herds need to be expanded if you’re to grow your income and expand your operation. On-farm facilities often necessitate investment too, such as farm buildings – after all, you need somewhere to house your growing collection of machinery, livestock or whatever the case may be.

The latter are the focus of the Irish Farm Buildings Association (IFBA), a representative body founded in 1961 and which includes members from the farming community, industry, professional organisations and more. Its main aim is to promote knowledge of matters relating to farm buildings and the Irish countryside, to facilitate the exchange of views, provide guidance to farmers, undertake research, further improvements in design and layout,