Grass is not a free lunch: what would be needed for outdoor grazing to be viable in UK dairy goat herds?

Research finds time and again that British consumers want farm animals to have access to pasture. However, in the UK commercial dairy goat sector, nearly all goats are permanently housed and outdoor grazing is considered at best risky and at worst existentially unviable.

I set out to find out whether, contrary to popular belief, there is a model of pasture-based dairy goat farming that could work in the UK: financially, practically and without compromising animal health and welfare. My study tour took me to meet many farmers of goats in grazed systems. Some chose to graze their goats because of a conviction it was better for the goats; others approached it more pragmatically as a means to an end for obtaining organic certification and a premium milk price.  While approaches to grazing differed, the challenges were familiar: how to cultivate a sward a goat finds palatable and nutritious, how to prevent parasitism, how to cope with extremes of weather, how to keep goats fenced in.

This report has four major findings:

1. Grazing goats in the UK can be viable.
2. The best grazing systems for goats start with the question, ‘what would suit a goat?’
3. Grass is not a free lunch: both cow and goat dairy farmers getting a lot out of pasture are also putting a lot into it.
4. If you want to change your system, you need a system for change. Dairy farms can be hard places in which to change things, so change needs to be deliberate and structured.

Farmers are grazing commercial dairy goats in climates similar to UK. The most successful systems lean into the natural behaviour and preferences of a goat by grazing them on bespoke mixed swards or putting them in an environment rich in trees and shrubs. However, all successful pasture-based dairy – cow or goat - relies on the farmer managing the pasture and grazing rotations with at least as much care and attention as the animals themselves.

Yet system change is a hard process on a dairy farm, and to successfully implement a transition to a pasture-based system, farmers will need to take a deliberate and structured approach to the change process. Successful on-farm change results from vision and a commitment to marginal gains. It works best when the farm is surrounded by a supportive peer group, and by a bespoke off-farm team bringing accountability and specialist expertise.

Finishing my travels, I am convinced that UK pasture-based goat dairying has a future, as long as we are not naïve about the work of change needed to get there.