A FORBES dairy goat breeder is benefiting from a rise in live export demand as international stud producers look to lift their quality and productivity through the use of Australian genetics.
Illoura Park Anglo-Nubian stud owner Jennifer Jones has made substantial export sales in recent years, offering a premium over domestic transactions.
"I sell domestically but the export market is big for me with a lot of my animals sold to international buyers for reasonable, yet good money," she said.
Ms Jones' most recent order has been from Russia, with four does and a buck Ms Jones was going to retain within her stud, sent earlier this year following on from the client's purchase of one buck in 2018.
Goats are sold for a farm gate price, meaning the purchaser is to cover all costs involved after they leave the property.
"The client usually covers the costs of quarantine, import documents, transport, health testing and treatments and everything involved," she said.
Ms Jones is currently preparing another shipment for the Philippines who will take 17 doe kids and 12 buck kids in mid-June.
"Philippines usually has demand for the Anglo-Nubians because they have more heat tolerance compared to Swiss," she said.
"For the Philippines the goats need to go into quarantine for two to three weeks at Kennedy Creek, Eugowra, where they have blood collected and are health tested for JD (Johnes disease) and CAE (Caprine arthritis encephalitis).
"Different countries have different health test requirements with, for example China requires Bluetongue testing and Thailand needs clearance for Tuberculosis."
Although being quite costly, all goats need to be transported via crates on chartered flights because they tend to get sea sick.
"It is very expensive, and at times our agent has travelled with the goats to check they are managed well and fed and watered throughout the flight," Ms Jones said.
"When they land at the airport, they are collected by another agent and they are then taken to another quarantine facility for sometimes another month making it a lengthy process for the importers."
Breeding Anglo-Nubians since 2000, Ms Jones now runs 30 breeding does on her Yandilla property.
She has worked hard to develop and breed the type and production level she wants into her stock, and is being rewarded for her attention to detail.
"At first I wasn't breeding Anglo-Nubians," she said.
"I bought a line of 22 does that I was going use to breed recips for embryo transfer work with boer goats, but after a year I liked them, and they were all registered.
"When I showed their certificates to an old time breeder they said they were some good lines and I should breed with them - so I did.
"Since I have really focused on udders, exotic heads, reducing how steep they were through the shoulder and back, and lengthening them through the barrel."
She first exported live dairy goats in 2004 after being introduced to the concept by word-of-mouth, and has sold to more than five countries.
"Taiwan was the first market I sold into," she said. "Since, I have also exported to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Russia, some of which on multiple occasions."
When international buyers were selecting animals Ms Jones usually sends a list and picture of her offerings and they go from there.
"Usually they are chasing animals generally around the six months of age and from 30 to 35 kilograms liveweight, and weaned," she said.
"A lot of overseas countries like the mottled colourings, which I am slowly getting them away from. They need to not just go for colour, but identify a good doe that will work for them.
"Building the trust is a big concept and with the language barrier it can be difficult, but I am getting there - they are starting to trust me when I say it is a good animal."
Overseas producers are starting to become more aware of being able to read registrations and Russia in particular are starting to ask for milk performance records when making their selections, an aspect Ms Jones said was important to provide.
"In 2015 I did 11 does, and although they are not terribly costly, they have a lot involved in them," she said.
"It all has to be validated with a milk steward in attendance, and the first test has to be done within seven to 70 days of kidding.
When doing the test the does involved need to be stripped out at for example 8pm at night, with times and animals stripped out verified by the steward.
"The next morning, at around seven or eight, the does will be each milked with the milk weighed and a sample syringe of about 5mm taken and placed in a tube with the doe's details on it for testing," she said.
"The final milking in the 24 hour period has to be before 8pm. They are then sent to Dairy Express at ABRI for procesing."
Ms Jones said all does being tested need to be enrolled in the system, and she chooses to also enroll the bucks.
"I enroll the bucks because if, for example five daughter does of the buck have good production they could get a sire of merit," she said.
From a show perspective Ms Jones said the milk records are good because it allows you to get milk awards.
"When you show the does and get points for wins, over time if you get 100 points at show under four different judges, and you have a milk award, you can apply to get an Australia champion status which is pretty special," she said.
