Dairy goat production has expanded significantly, with intensive systems raising welfare concerns around disbudding, housing quality, social management and nutritional health distinct from cattle dairy systems.
Goat welfare has received far less research attention than cattle or pig welfare despite substantial global populations. Disbudding is a routine but acutely painful procedure; best practice requires sedation and analgesia but these are not universally applied. The curious, agile nature of goats means that barren indoor environments cause significant boredom and frustration; goats provided with climbing structures, browse and social complexity show markedly better welfare outcomes. Nutritional diseases (copper deficiency, urinary calculi in males) cause preventable chronic health problems in systems where dietary management is inadequate.