Sonia champions the British Alpine Goat breed Sonia Gibbons’ interest in British Alpine Goats came about by accident 12 years ago. Her daughter, a primary school pupil at the time, needed to adopt a goat for her school’s Agricultural Day. This first goat was not a British Alpine, although he was a handsome dairy breed wether who introduced her to the type of bond that one develops when they obtain a dairy goat. Sonia drove a route to work past a property where a breeder owned several beautiful black and white goats which took her eye and strenghtened her resolve to obtain a breeding pair. No guesses as to the breed of those animals. Today, Sonia is the President of the Alpine Goats of NZ Association. She feels that Alpines “grow into your heart”. In fact, being lactose intolerant means that goats milk helps improve her health immensely. Although only about 1,000 of these animals are farmed in New Zealand, their distinctive characteristics and unique attributes make them highly sort after, Sonia says. The first batch of Alpines arrived in New Zealand from Australia in the fifties. They are now farmed across the country, with a concentration developing north of Auckland. At present, Alpines do not produce as much milk as Saanens. But Sonia believes that had a genetic programme been more rigorously administered over the years, the Alpines would have out-performed Saanens.
As a hobby farmer, she manages to produce over 4 litres a day per goat. A top-producing Alpine should get over 5 litres, but even that figure is significantly behind the quota for commercial Saanen goats that on average produce around 6 to 8 litres. Nowadays, moves are underway to open up the genetic programme to breed Alpines that are able to produce more milk. Sonia also enters her goats in various shows, including the AMP Show which has a dairy goat section. Her preparations for showing her goats is aided by her membership and the goats registration with the New Zealand Dairy Goat Breeders Association. She feels that Alpines, as “classy, pretty animals”, have a good chance of winning awards. The NZ Alpine Goat Association is affiliated to the New Zealand Dairy Goat Breeders Association (NZDGBA). This organization provides support and training for all dairy goat breeders, as well as dairy goat enthusiasts, across New Zealand. The NZDGBA defines the British Alpine Goat as a Swiss type. “They are large in size, graceful, with a smoothly blended body exhibiting an attractive dairy type. Predominantly black, they have the same white Swiss markings as the Toggenburg.”
For further information go to: https://www.nzdgba.co.nz/british-alpine
Goat & Sheep Milk NZ - Issue 7 | June 2022
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