Goats are intelligent, social animals kept for milk, meat, and fiber production across the world, but welfare standards specifically for goats lag behind those for cattle and pigs in most jurisdictions.
Goats kept in barren, flat environments without social grouping or elevated surfaces show higher stress indicators and more stereotypic behavior than those in enriched settings. The bright, curious intelligence of goats makes environmental monotony particularly detrimental. Disbudding without analgesia causes acute pain that is well-documented but poorly regulated. Kid separation disrupts the maternal bond in ways parallel to dairy cattle, yet receives less consumer attention. The relatively weak regulatory framework for goat welfare reflects both the global distribution of production in low-income settings and the limited research base from which standards can be derived. Closing this research gap is a prerequisite for developing meaningful welfare improvements across the global goat production sector.