Meat Goat Producers     GOAT MEAT PRODUCTION IN AUSTRALIA The majority of Australia's goat meat production came from feral goats until, in recent years, the South African Boer goat was introduced into Australia. This has resulted in the breeding of Boer crosses to find the meat goat most suited to Australian conditions. The Anglo Nubian is involved in this equation, as is the most       recent import, the Kalahari Red, also from South Africa. At present the quest to find the "cross" or "crosses" most suitable for the goat meat market is in its infancy and there has been limited research into feed conversion ratios, carcass characteristics or gross margins. Research is, however, underway and the results of this research will be essential to the development of the goat meat industry in Australia. The main consumers of goat meat in Australia are of ethnic origin, including Fijian, African, Indian, Lebanese, Greek, Italian, Chinese and other Asian communities. Queensland does not have a domestic market for goat meat as such. Many goat meat producers supply live animals direct to consumers or goat meat is sold through local processors. A small amount of goat meat is sold through retail butchers shops. This meat is packaged in 1.5-2kg lots and is sold mainly to the Indian community for use in curries and similar ethnic dishes. Australia has very little history of farming goats specifically for meat, but in recent years the situation is slowly changing. Captured feral goats are now being used as a base for the production of capretto, which is meat that comes from milk fed goat kids, ideally, about 3 months old. In 1996 world production of goat meat was about 3.7 million tonnes, which does not include the animals slaughtered for personal consumption by individuals in developing countries. Traditionally, it has been the populations of the poorer, undeveloped countries that have consumed goat meat. There has, however, been a rapid increase in consumption in many developed countries, for example, the US, where the slaughter of goats has trebled between 1985 and 1990 [USDA]. Australia exported about 12,000 tonnes of goat meat in 1997. Of this, about 85% of exports were in carcass form, with the remainder as bone-in and bone-out cuts. Australia also exported over 47,000 live goats in 1996/97 and has developing markets for goat leather [chevon nappa] and goatskins. The international trade in goat meat is very small when compared with total world consumption and Australia has a dominant market share of this trade. The main competitor for Australia, regarding export markets, is New Zealand who exported 1,449 tonnes in 1995. Australia is also a major participant in the world live goat trade, but has competition from Iran and Somalia in supplying the United Arab Emirates, the world's largest live goat market. Australia's traditional export markets of Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, which represent about 40% of Australia's export sales, have, through market research, indicated that there will continue to be a growing demand for goat meat. All three markets require lean goat meat, which is 20-40% higher in value than chilled and frozen mutton. Goat meat is similar in price to chilled lamb and frozen beef. NB. Importing countries may have varying protocols and health requirements, which must be met before animals can be shipped. It is also necessary to meet the requirements of the Australian protocol for the preparation of goats for live export.     MARKET REQUIREMENTS Abattoirs and exporters looking to sign forward contracts with goat meat producers will want to ensure that carcasses will be available all year round and will be very specific with regards to age, live weight and fat depth. The domestic market consists of the restaurant trade and the home consumer. Health conscious Australians are demanding meat products that are leaner and have lower cholesterol levels. Goat meat is low in fat and cholesterol. Statistics from USDA show that goat meat has less fat than beef, pork, lamb and chicken and is low in cholesterol. The demand for goat meat in Asia, S. America, Europe and the Caribbean is substantially unsatisfied. The most lucrative market for export of Australian goat meat will be as chilled carcasses [as opposed to the current frozen export]. Certain special markets require young entirely milk-fed animals, aged up to 10 weeks and weighing up to 20kg live or 10kg dressed [BBAA 1995]. Australian producers must identify each market's requirements, then, modify their management and production to suit. REFERENCES Boer Goat Association of Australia. 1995, Australia,s Boer Goats - Meating the Markets Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations [FAO]. 1997, Statistical Databases. United StatesDepartment of Agriculture [USDA]. 1997, Foreign Agricultural Service. Web Site.     Hoof and Hook Competition - The hoof and hook competition is a competition run by the SE QLD Meat Producers. To find out more, go to the hoof and hook competition page.   Meat Goat Breeds - There are three main breeds of goats which contribute to the meat goat industry. To read more about each goat click on the link below. Anglo Nubian Boer Goat Kalahari Red   Goat Meat Recipes - We have some great goat meat recipes for you, and also ways to prepare the meat for cooking. We also list advantages of goat meat. To view our recipes page click here.

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Last modified: 01-Nov-2008