Goats are increasingly farmed for milk and meat globally. Their welfare in intensive dairy systems and meat production is largely overlooked compared to cattle and pigs.
Goat disbudding — burning the horn buds of young kids with a hot iron to prevent horn growth — causes acute pain, and is frequently performed without anaesthetic in commercial systems. Kids separated from mothers show acute distress responses analogous to dairy cattle. Intensive indoor goat dairy systems prevent the climbing, exploring, and social behaviour highly motivated in this species. Slatted floors cause hoof problems in animals whose natural terrain is rocky hillsides. Male dairy goat kids are considered economically worthless and are killed at birth or within days in most systems. Goat welfare is regulated differently from cattle in many countries, with less protective legislation.