Understanding the UK goat sector in 2023

Abstract

The UK goat population is very small compared to other ruminant sectors, but is very diverse. This article provides information on how and why goats are kept in the UK. This background information will help the reader to better direct their veterinary advice, based on herd size, management system, purpose kept and owner aspirations and ambitions. As a simple comparison, the owner of a large commercial dairy herd will have a different view to disease control by test and cull to the owner of a small herd of beloved pet goats. As pet goats can live well into their teenage years, more unusual clinical presentations such as neoplasia can be encountered, rarely seen in commercial herds culled at the end of their productive life.