Goats have well-developed social and cognitive capabilities that require specific welfare assessment approaches beyond standard livestock audit frameworks.
Goat welfare assessment must account for their cognitive and social complexity: a goat welfare audit focused only on body condition, parasites, and lameness misses the behavioural welfare dimension that is central to their experience. Stereotypic behaviours in goats — persistent licking, bar-biting, head-pressing — indicate chronic boredom or frustration in cognitively demanding animals. Environmental complexity, social group stability, and opportunities for exploration and problem-solving are welfare requirements, not optional enrichments.