Dairy goats are farmed globally for milk and cheese, with welfare challenges centred on disbudding, kidding management, and meeting the behavioural needs of a highly active and social species.
Dairy goat welfare is an area where significant improvement is achievable through relatively modest changes in management practice. Mandatory anaesthesia for disbudding, extended kid-doe contact, environmental enrichment, and outdoor access requirements are all evidence-based improvements that progressive producers have demonstrated are commercially viable. Consumer interest in goat dairy products is growing, creating market opportunities for higher welfare producers.