Internal parasites are the most significant health and welfare challenge in goat farming globally, requiring strategic management to avoid resistance and protect goat welfare.
Haemonchus contortus infestation causes progressive blood loss anaemia in goats that, without management, leads to weakness, bottle jaw, recumbency, and death within days to weeks. Goats mask illness until they are severely compromised, meaning visual assessment alone often underestimates the degree of welfare harm present in a group. FAMACHA scoring - a simple, inexpensive technique that directly assesses anaemia severity by eye colour - allows targeted treatment of individuals that genuinely need it, reducing unnecessary drug use and slowing resistance development. The welfare and sustainability crisis of anthelmintic resistance in small ruminants is one of the most serious threats to the long-term viability of goat farming globally.