POONCARIE local Bill Neyland has been harvesting wild goats for 20 years.
A share-farm agreement in the region means Mr Neyland has access to upward of 6000 goats annually, which he sends direct to the meat works – for good money.
“Back in the early ’90s when the Broken Hill meat works was still around, they’d buy them for $1.50 a head and now they’re making upward of $35,” he said.
Goats in the western division can be a touchy subject with the main concern being poor boundary fencing.
But those making a living off the pest see it as a “win-win”.
“We do it different to other blokes because we farm them rather than just muster them,” Mr Neyland said.
“There’s no crutching, marking or drenching; the only upkeep is keeping the fences up, and that is important.”
His partner Joanne Nicholls said the team operated on only sending goats above eight kilograms.
Two years ago they sent 20,000 goats off the property.
“We had good years and good feed,” Miss Nicholls said.
“The money’s good but it goes up and down like anything. The rain in Queensland’s held things up a bit and made things a bit easier for us.”
Miss Nicholls said prices were holding about 310 cents a kilogram over the hook (carcase weight).
“The over the hook price is more stable,” she said.
“It’s a supply and demand thing for us, and the demand is there.”
Goats sold from $20 to $30 dearer at the Dubbo goat sale held about one month ago, said P.T. Lord, Dakin and Associates livestock agent Joe Portelli.
He said with strong prices in the mutton market, goats usually tended to follow and so the dearer price trend had not been unexpected.
At the sale, Boer does sold for about $90 to $100, while wethers were selling from $120 to $150.
Also driving the market had been a growing interest in goats from Asia, with enquiries from China, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines.
However, he said with recent rain it had been somewhat harder to source bush goats with plenty of feed and water available for them; they are usually easier to harvest in the dryer periods.
Bathurst livestock agent David Smith said next Monday’s goat sale at the Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange (CTLX) at Carcoar was expected to be “a fair bit dearer” than the previous sale.
He said the export market for goats was strong at the moment, with interest in particular from the Middle East.
“There are a quite a few processors who are supplying that market,” Mr Smith said.
He said vendors at previous CTLX goat sales typically came from West Wyalong, Mudgee, Binnaway and the Southern Highlands, while some buyers came from as far away as Melbourne, purchasing quality goats to supply the restaurant market.
