GOATS are booming – supply and prices are up, processing infrastructure is being developed and those in the industry are confident of a good few years ahead.
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This has been reflected in over-the-hooks prices hitting $3.60 a kilogram in recent weeks, which has been supported by strong prices at saleyards.
Growth in export demand has largely come from the Asian market, says P.T. Lord Dakin and Associates agent Joe Portelli, Dubbo, who has never seen prices so strong.
However, domestic demand was also surging and good demand remained in the US, our largest buyer of goat meat.
“The only time I’ve seen (the goat market) stronger was when the live export job jumped, but I’ve never seen the kill job so strong,” Mr Portelli said.
Live goat prices had followed suit, reaching $2.80/kg at recent Dubbo sales.
He said, traditionally, goat prices followed mutton prices, but this time goats had bucked the trend and were forging their own trail.
“Goats usually follow in the footsteps of the mutton market, but it’s out and holding its own at the moment,” he said.
“Hopefully it keeps going – there has been a lot of work from abattoirs and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has started its own section, so goats have their own identity now.”
In what could be emerging as a longer term trend, Mr Portelli was also seeing more physical goat markets across the State.
“I think over the next 10 to 20 years we will see more sales,” he said.
“I have had a lot of selling centres ask how to get goat sales going at their own yards and even producers want more (sales).”
Goat Industry Council of Australia president Rick Gates, Burndoo Station, near Wilcannia, agreed the future was rosy for goats.
He said the Australian industry would process between 2.2 and 2.5 million goats this year and this number was expected to grow.
More processing facilities – like a $38 million proposed goat abattoir at Blayney (see story below right) – would be a good thing, he said, as it would create more competition, but it was also important to keep a balance, whereby there would be enough supply to keep processors viable.
Issues such as this were currently being assessed through the Meat Industry Strategic Plan, looking to the long term development of the goat industry and in particular the next 10 to 15 years.
Mr Gates said with goat supply up by about 20 per cent and prices up by about 20pc this year, things were looking good for the industry.
Much of this, he believed, was due to export markets such as the US - our “bread and butter” export destination –?and China.
According to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), China became the second largest export destination in 2013, taking 4700 tonnes compared with just 370t in 2012.
Rebecca Sharpe
Journalist for The Land at Dubbo.
Journalist for The Land at Dubbo.
