Assessment of the extent and capacity of goatmeat industry supply chains

Summary

The Australia goatmeat industry is primarily supplied by goats derived from rangeland production. A smaller, specialised domestic goatmeat production sector complements this larger, predominantly commodity market. The development of the Australian goatmeat industry is constrained by an inability to supply a consistent quantity of goatmeat, of a consistent quality, particularly with the high value goatmeat market.
This project conducted a review of goatmeat supply chains, through their participants, to establish a better understanding of industry development and capability as well as to quantify the need for supply chain development assistance. The outcome of this research is to identify the characteristics which contribute to the success or otherwise of supply chains.
It is clear from the research undertaken that the supply chains that manage goats are simple in nature. This is due mainly to the large amount of rangeland product supplied. Depots were used to aggregate and draft animals and in some instances hold animals back till they reach saleable weight.
Domestic production was slightly more complex, with a much smaller market with a great deal more specification. These specifications include age of the animal, weight and fat cover as the domestic trade animal is utilised more in the cuts based market. Processors are well linked to either an agent or depot to purchase product, leaving them once removed from production. The supply of goats within Australia comes with a number of issues as well. These have been articulated within the research however can be simply summarised as: supply, consistency and information (communication).