Ireland is losing out on the lucrative goats’ milk infant formula export sector that New Zealand is cashing in on across Europe and Asia.
According to Teagasc Goat Adviser, Cian Condon, Ireland’s competitive advantage of grass-based production is being lost because there’s no investment in preserving goats’ milk.
Condon said he gets up to a dozen queries a week from people interested in farming goats.
“Virtually all of the goats’ milk products that we make in this country are fresh, so nothing has a long shelf-life. That means that all of those suppliers have to produce milk all-year round.”
He said production of too much fresh goats milk during the summer months drives down pricing, “hammering” Irish suppliers.
New Zealanders are increasingly powdering their goat milk for export, typically for the high-value infant formula export sector.
“About two years ago there was a change in European legislation, whereby the rules governing the constituents of infant formula changed from exclusively cows’ milk protein to cows’ and goat milk protein.”
Condon said that since then the New Zealand goat milk sector have invested over NZ$50m in driers, in order to supply the European and Asian market, whereas Ireland has no plans to do likewise.
According to the most recent data available from 2014, more than 1000 Irish farms had goats recorded on them, but only about 70 of those farms had more than 50 animals: an increase from 31 herds in 2012.
Condon said there are some commercial goat farms in Ireland with herds of 25 to 40 goats, so there may up to 100 commercial goat herds in total across the country.
You can make a living off goats from 40 or 50 acres. There are few other field-based production systems in Ireland that you can do that from.
“But there are only a couple of dozen herds producing large-scale liquid milk, who are either supplying into a goat milk processor or a cheese maker.”
The Kiwi Precedent
Offaly-based Glenisk is the main purchaser of goat’s milk in Ireland, but Condon said it still only collected from between 10 and 15 farms nationwide, all with over 150 animals on them.
On a smaller scale, farmhouse cheese companies such as Cooleeney Farm and Knockdrinna also purchase goats’ milk , while other producers such as Killeen Cheese, St Tola and Old MacDonnells produce their own milk.
While some fresh milk is being sold to retailers pre-packed, signifiant amounts are processed for yoghurt and cheese. However, Condon said that demand for goats milk outstrips supply.
“Certainly there has been a very rapid rise in the number of goats’ cheeses being made here, as is evident on so many restaurant menus you will see in Ireland.”
Condon said that while goat farming may never be huge in Ireland, the construction of a drier would produce a “viable alternative enterprise” for a lot of small farms in the country.
“Because we don’t have these long-term goats’ milk products, the number of goats is reasonably static.
“If you go to New Zealand, there aren’t a massive number of goat farms but they are producing a colossal quantity of milk.
“But the whole sector here is completely under-the-radar. People don’t really know about it. We need someone to come in and set-up a pilot project with a handful of farms to go towards the funding a goats’ milk direr – then increase output each year from there.”
As goats are “prolific breeders” Condon added that a farmer can expect at least a 50-60% herd increase, year-on-year.