Dairy goat production has expanded significantly in the UK and Europe, but welfare standards often lag behind those for dairy cattle, with kid disposal and housing particularly problematic.
Male kid culling at birth is standard in dairy goat production. Goats are intelligent animals capable of complex social relationships; isolation causes significant distress. Slatted floors deny dustbathing and resting on natural substrate. Disbudding (horn removal) without adequate anaesthesia is common and causes acute and chronic pain. The sector lacks the welfare infrastructure and NGO scrutiny of dairy cattle.