The global demand for luxury cashmere and mohair fiber has driven intensification of goat farming with significant welfare costs documented by undercover investigations and researchers.
Goats shorn for fiber show acute stress responses during shearing, especially when handled roughly or restrained on their backs. Cashmere goats kept at high densities for maximum fiber yield suffer from overgrazing, leading to poor nutritional status and compromised wool quality simultaneously. The same economic pressure driving welfare problems — maximizing fiber per animal — degrades the environment that sustains them. Luxury fiber welfare represents a sector where consumer pressure has unusual leverage given the premium pricing.