Dairy goats are kept in millions globally for milk production, with welfare challenges including disbudding, intensive milking regimes, and the fate of surplus male kids that require attention.
Dairy goat welfare shares many parallels with dairy cattle welfare but receives considerably less regulatory and consumer attention. Disbudding of goat kids is acutely painful and the evidence for providing analgesia is strong, yet practice rates vary widely. Male kid disposal is a systemic welfare problem arising from the same economic logic as in dairy cattle systems; males cannot produce milk and the meat value does not justify welfare investment. Goat welfare certification in the artisan cheese and premium dairy market is growing, but the majority of global goat milk production occurs in systems with minimal welfare oversight. Goats are intelligent, exploratory animals that demonstrate clear signs of boredom and frustration when confined without stimulation, making enrichment provision an important welfare consideration.