Australia’s goat meat industry has experienced a boom in recent years, so much so that Australia is the largest exporter of goat meat in the world. This is despite only accounting for around 1 per cent (pc) of global production according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).
As part of Elders Ag In-Focus week for all things goats, Elders Marketing Business Partner for Queensland, Lizzie McClymont caught up with Queensland goat producer Louise Hoch from The Lake at Quilpie to find out more about running goats.
“I have mostly Kalahari’s Reds that I breed out here at The Lake and I have had them for about five years now," Louise said.
“We went into goats because the goat industry has just been booming and our country out here is just perfectly suited to goats. They are a really tough, hardy animal, making them low maintenance.”
Did you have to change many of your traditional practices to go into goats?
“The only thing we had to change has been the fencing. A good exclusion fence seems to keep them in and happy.”
What do you foresee the outlook for the goat industry in this region?
“Goats have got a good future here in Australia. The industry is just going to get better and better.
“At the moment, most of the goat meat is exported, there isn’t much of a domestic market. But a big demand from overseas.”
What’s the process of raising goats?
“I don’t have much of a strict program in raising goats. They are fairly self-sufficient and carefree.
“You just need to have good fences and keep the predators under control.
“Our goats are kidding twice a year, as we are having a really good season out here.”
How do you market your goats?
“At the moment we have been taking them to the sales. There is a Queensland breeder sale, and also marketing on social media on our Facebook page.
“We get quite a few messages on Facebook for people enquiring about buying Kalahari bucks to put over their rangeland goats.
“I have been selling these weaners as breeding stock, but the rangeland goats we sell to the abattoir in Charleville.
“We use our local Elders branch in Quilpie for our goat needs. We bought all of our exclusion fencing materials through Elders and we bought all of our goats to stock our other property.”
The outlook for 2023
The goat industry has a relatively high degree of volatility when it comes to supply, if seasonal conditions are favourable, like they have been in Western Queensland and New South Wales, numbers can multiply quickly. Price reacts accordingly as is the case with recent price drops coming off a peak of 920 c/kg CWT in June 2022 to a low of 325c/kg CWT in February 2023.
Graph showing the number of goats slaughtered and price. Source: MLA.
A recent article published on Beef Central highlighted the rapid growth of goat numbers due to three consecutive La Nina weather patterns and the fast reproducing nature of goats. The decline in prices although steep, isn’t all bad news for those selling as it opens up markets with lower price expectations. However, it does present a processing challenge, the article references Thomas Food International’s mothballed Bourke processing facility which has reopened to meet processing needs.
Meat and Livestock Australia’s latest report shows an increase of 46pc in the number of goats processed in Australia during 2021-22, a figure that is expected to rise further in 2022-23.
In terms of demand, roughly two thirds of Australia’s goat meat exports are bound for the U.S market. A market which has enjoyed strong growth historically, however, conditions have changed in the past 6-12 months. Drought has gripped much of the U.S and as a result cattle slaughter has increased, introducing large inventories of red meat and driving down prices at the checkout. A situation which results in cheaper alternatives being purchased ahead of goat meat.
Other markets which stand to benefit from price drops in goat meat include South Korea and Canada. Both markets enjoyed strong growth in 2021-22 and are expected to be growth markets for goat meat in 2023.
Elders Livestock Manager for QLD/NT, Garry Cartwright explains how the industry is poised early in 2023.
“We all know that it is tough going in the goat industry at the moment due to oversupply and limited selling options.
“I am hopeful that in 12 months’ time we can start to see more markets open up and we will regain some confidence and stability in pricing.
“The cost of production is quite low once you have the infrastructure in place. And as I have been saying for quite some time, the infrastructure, including exclusion fencing, will still serve a purpose of keeping pests out and livestock in even if it doesn’t have goats behind it.
“Goats are renowned breeders, they are certainly an animal that is highly reproductive, and hopefully in 12 months’ time future markets with open up to accommodate the influx of numbers.
“Last week, Elders held a Goat Information Day in Mitchell, QLD, with over 60 attendees. We had plenty of comments from the audience that it was a really good day and it was positive to see Elders representing the industry so well.
"I know that our clients are happy to be working with Elders especially through these tough times as we are still here to provide an excellent service and find markets for their goats”, Garry concluded.