Goats are increasingly farmed for dairy, meat, and fibre worldwide. Their inquisitive, agile nature and complex social needs are often poorly accommodated in intensive production systems.
Goats are often overlooked in farm animal welfare discussions despite their large global population and complex needs. They are highly motivated to climb, explore, and maintain social hierarchies — needs that intensive housing frequently fails to meet. Pain management for disbudding remains inconsistent, and early maternal separation causes measurable stress responses in both dams and kids. Higher-welfare goat production includes appropriate enrichment (platforms, brushes, objects to investigate), pain relief for all husbandry procedures, and housing designs that allow expression of natural social behaviour. Consumer demand for higher-welfare dairy and meat products helps drive improvements.