Goat producers in Western NSW and the industry have received a major boost following the appointment of a dedicated goat extension officer through the "going ahead with goats" project.
Following a competitive recruitment process, Kieran Smith has stepped into the role, and he has been busily working with producers and stakeholders to get their input into how he and this project can help drive the goat industry forward.
"This is a great opportunity for me personally to do something that I'm passionate about and really make a difference for Western NSW goat producers and the industry," Mr Smith said.
"The going ahead with goats project represents a wonderful opportunity to build on the work the industry and goat producers have done in the past 20 or so years and continue to take it forward, and I am really excited to be involved."
In his full-time role, Mr Smith is providing ongoing support and capacity building opportunities for goat producers in Western NSW, while also supporting the industry to continue to grow its export and domestic markets.
In recent years, goats have grown into a massive industry, particularly in Western NSW, as highlighted by:
- Australian goat meat exports were valued at $298.6 million in 2021/22.
- NSW goat producers supplied 64% of the goats processed nationally in 2021/22.
- Western NSW supplied 86% of the goats produced from NSW.
The project will dovetail with work being undertaken by project partners NSW Department of Primary Industries, with the aim of accelerating the adoption of goat research and development and growing market share, both domestically and in the export market, for Western NSW goat producers.
