New collaborative opportunities for rangeland goat industry

27 Mar 2018

The NSW Department of Primary Industries has put rangeland goats in the spotlight, with a position paper identifying the industry as an ongoing growth area.

NSW DPI Manager Data Insights, Michael Rollin said

NSW carries the largest population of rangeland goats in Australia, and significant improvements to the profitability and productivity of the industry were possible.

“In the DPI’s review of the Goat Industry Council of Australia (GICA) Goatmeat and Livestock Industry Strategic Plan 2020, we identified a number of areas in which we can collaborate with industry to help achieve the goals it sets out.”

The DPI’s General position paper highlights the importance of increased collaboration and partnership between stakeholders, research and development in areas that focus on improving productivity and profitability, and market access and management of Total Grazing Pressure through the commercial harvesting of rangeland goats.

The position paper estimates the NSW farm gate value of the rangeland goat industry to be worth $102 million for 2016, despite many of the goats supplied in NSW being processed interstate.

Demand for goat meat has been strong over the past four years, with prices reaching a record high of 683c/kg in July 2017 before easing to between 460c/kg and 490c/kg.

Export opportunities continue to occur in the United States, Taiwan and South Korea.

This is an area Mr Rollin believes offers great scope for expansion.

“While NSW is the largest rangeland goat producing state in Australia, our export earnings from live goat and goat meat was only 2% of the national total in 2016-17,” he said.

“The new abattoir planned for Bourke will greatly assist as it will provide a closer processing facility to goat enterprises, and so reduce transport costs.”

The General position paper - Development of the goat industry in NSW is available on the DPI website

Media contact: Anne Brook (02) 6763 1163 or 0477 358 305