Goats are increasingly farmed for milk and cheese globally; their welfare in commercial systems requires attention to species-specific needs including browsing behaviour, social complexity, and dental and foot health.
Commercial dairy goat systems often house animals in barren concrete sheds that deny browsing behaviour and opportunities for exploration. Like dairy cattle, the separation of kids at birth causes acute distress in both dam and offspring. Welfare standards for goats have historically lagged behind cattle and pig legislation, but growing commercial scale is increasing the urgency of evidence-based standards.