Cashmere production involves combing or shearing soft undercoat from goats and raises welfare concerns around the keeping conditions of cashmere goats in Mongolia and China.
Cashmere goat welfare varies enormously across the supply chain. In Mongolia and China, goats may be kept in very large herds where individual health monitoring is impossible. Overgrazing-induced desertification degrades the vegetation quality that goats depend on, causing nutritional stress especially in winter. Cold stress after fiber removal is a real risk in high-altitude environments. The luxury cashmere market creates high price premiums for producers but these often do not translate to improved animal welfare. Supply chain transparency is extremely limited, making welfare assessment of specific cashmere products almost impossible for consumers.