There are two breeds of goat that are used for fibre production in Australia – Cashmere and Angora. Escapees from the first herd evolved into the unique Australian rangeland goat and it is from this goat that the Cashmere goats have been selected to establish the basis of the Australian Cashmere goat fibre industry. Angora goats were imported as a specific breed and recent imports from Texas and South Africa have replaced earlier bred animals.

Angora goats are the main fibre goats in Australia. Angoras were named after the region in Turkey from which they originated (Ankara). They are generally smaller than other domestic goats and sheep, have long drooping ears and both sexes are horned. Angora goats produce a simple fleece of mohair – a very long (120–150mm), lustrous and resilient luxury fibre, which can be blended with other natural or synthetic fibres to give texture and lustre to a finished fabric.

Mohair is composed mostly of keratin, a protein found in the hair, wool, horns and skin of all mammals. The fibre has scales like wool but the scales are not fully developed so mohair does not felt as wool does. Mohair fibre is approximately 20–40 microns in diameter. It increases in diameter with the age of the goat, growing with the animal. Fine hair from younger animals is used for fine applications such as clothing, and the thicker hair from older animals is more often used for rugs, curtaining, upholstery and heavy fabrics intended for outerwear.

After 25 years of selective breeding, the Australian Cashmere goat has evolved into a distinctive breed of goat, far removed from its bush goat origins. While retaining the fertility and hardiness of the bush goat, the Australian Cashmere is quite different in appearance and temperament. After years of domestication, farming Australian Cashmeres is not that dissimilar to farming and handling crossbred sheep.

Cashmere goats produce a double fleece that consists of a fine, soft undercoat or down of hair mingled with a straighter and much coarser outer coating of hair called guard hair. To be processed, the fleece must be de-haired – a mechanical process that separates the coarse hairs from the fine hair. After de-hairing, the resulting “cashmere” is ready to be dyed and converted into textile yarn, fabrics and garments.

The fibre is one of the world’s premium fibres as it is luxuriously soft, warm and light. It varies in colour from brown to light grey to white, and its diameter ranges between 11 and 20 micron. Cashmere goats produce significantly less fibre than Angora goats (6kg from two shears a year for Angora goats compared with around 200g per head for Cashmere goats).

Although the Angora mohair industry in Australia is an established industry with well-developed production and marketing systems, it lacks the volume of production to be a sizable industry. Australian Cashmere growers compete with cheaper goat fibre products produced through ‘peasant-style’ production systems in China and other countries.

The cashmere industry is small and very price sensitive though with global demand exceeding supply. This may present opportunities for this part of the industry to develop. The goat fibre industry is represented by the peak industry bodies Mohair Australia and Australian Cashmere Growers Association (ACGA) Inc.

Mohair is a lustrous, long fibre renowned for its ability to be dyed into brilliant colours and when blended with other fibre adds sheen to the fabric. These characteristics are sought after by top designers of clothing and soft furnishings worldwide. It has a multitude of uses including all season fashion items from frothy knits to sweaters, rich tweeds and men’s worsted suits. It is also used as a decorating fabric as it is flame resistant and has a high sound absorbency which makes it ideal for theatres, hotel lobbies, offices as well as homes. As a curtain material it is highly effective as an insulator. Mohair is used to make upholstery velours. It can also be used in hats, scarves, slippers, throws and blankets, wigs and children’s toys.

Growing regions

In Australia, fibre goats have been traditionally farmed by hobby farmers on small properties in regions close to capital cities. Goats are more appropriately farmed in areas of less than 600mm annual rainfall as in higher rainfall regions they are susceptible to intestinal worms.

Regions where trefoil burr is prevalent should be avoided by goat fibre produces, as the seed of the plant can be a major contaminant of the fibre.

The prevalence of wild goats and wild dogs to the farm’s location should also be considered. The management of animals, as well as progeny and fleece quality, may be a problem if wild goats gain access to the herd; and wild dogs can have a significant impact on the wellbeing and survival of goat herds.

Climate

Goats can tolerate a range of climatic conditions and are particularly adapted to arid environments; in fact cashmere is mainly produced in the cold and arid regions of central Asia. Both Cashmere and Angora goats have less body insulation than sheep and therefore do not cope as well in cold, wet conditions unless provided with good shelter. In high rainfall areas goats can suffer from health issues such as parasitism and foot problems.

Housing

Goats, and particularly kids, can be sensitive to cold, wet conditions, particularly when freshly shorn. Sheds or heavy scrub may be necessary to protect them during these periods. Sheds can be fairly basic, the important thing being to provide shelter from rain and wind and maintain a dry floor.

Feed requirements

Angora and Cashmere goats are both grazing and browsing animals, and prefer to graze shrubs and tall pasture. They are not suited to wetter environments with short, green pasture, and in these conditions can be susceptible to parasites. Although goats are selective grazers (more selective than sheep but with a wider range) they will eat weeds and are more flexible grazers than sheep and cattle. Goats also have the ability to digest lower quality herbage than sheep.

In Australia, most goat production systems are forage based, where goats generally have access to shrubs and green pasture. This provides a good balance of energy, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, however the amount of feed available may be the limiting factor for production.

The amount of feed that goats need depends on the class of animal, age, level of activity and climatic conditions. Consistent, good quality feed is required for quality fibre production, and additional feed is required for growing, pregnant and lactating animals, as well as where animals travel long distances each day or to maintain body weight when the climate is cold. Supplementary feed may be required in the form of hay or grain.

Goats have the most developed social hierarchy of all farm animals and it is important to provide sufficient grazing space so that dominant members of a herd do not prevent others from feeding especially when fed supplements. Outside the breeding season bucks should be kept separately.

In areas not normally grazed it is important to note that goats are sensitive to toxic weeds. For more information refer to The palatability, and potential toxicity of Australian weeds to goats.

Detailed information on the requirements of goats for energy, protein, roughage and other dietary components is provided in the Meat and Livestock Australia guide Going into Goats Module 7 Nutrition and Australian Goat Notes.

The following infrastructure items are required for fibre goat production:

• shelter in cold wet environments and shade in hot climates
• yards and handling equipment — standard sheep yards are suitable for fibre goats
• shearing equipment and facilities
• good water source

The income from a goat fibre clip is based on a combination of fleece quality and quantity, which is largely determined by breeding and management of the goat. The Angora goat is shorn twice a year whilst the Cashmere is shorn only once and yields significantly less fibre. Much of the shearing process is similar to a wool production system. The clip is then classed either by a qualified grower or broker and appropriate paper work completed. Details of shearing or fibre harvesting are explained in the Fibre Growth and Production section of Australian Goat Notes.

Mohair in Australia is sold in greasy or unprocessed form at auction or by private treaty. Often an individual producer will have insufficient mohair to form a sale lot. In such cases, brokers sort and pool fleeces from a range of properties to form uniform, saleable lots. Mohair auctions are held two to three times per year while private treaty sales can be made at any time. The majority of Australia’s mohair clip is processed overseas, mainly in South Africa. For more information on mohair processing and selling refer to Going into Goats Module 10 Mohair.

Mohair in Australia is sold as greasy or unprocessed fleece at auction or by private treaty. Often an individual producer will have insufficient mohair to form a sale lot. In such cases, brokers sort and pool fleeces from a range of properties to form uniform, saleable lots. Mohair auctions are held two to three times per year while private treaty sales can be made at any time throughout the year. The majority of Australia’s mohair clip is processed overseas. See the Australian Mohair Marketing Organisation website for more information.

Traditionally, Australian Cashmere has been sold as raw cashmere into the world market, through the Australian Cashmere Marketing Corporation. Cashmere fibre production differs from mohair as it requires an extra level of processing to remove the coarse guard hair fibres to produce down fibres virtually free of hair.

Risks/challenges

As with establishing any new animal business, there are potential risks and challenges throughout the value chain, and growers are advised to thoroughly research the entire chain before venturing into goat fibre production. There are a range of risks including the weather, diseases, pests, input prices and the price received from the goat products.

Predation by wild dogs, foxes, wild pigs, eagles and dingoes is a risk in some farming areas, and can result in serious losses of both young kids and adult goats. A robust fencing system may help manage land-based predators, as well as constraining the goats. Intensive kidding management of Angoras can greatly improve survival and weaning percentages.

Australian production of cashmere competes with the cheaper produced ‘peasant style’ production systems from countries such as China and Afghanistan so monitoring these markets may help business planning.

Regulatory considerations

The standard regulatory considerations that apply to all Australian farms, including laws applying to chemical use and management, occupational health and safety and transport, apply to fibre goat producing operations.

There is a range of requirements in relation to state animal welfare acts and regulations, on-farm animal welfare standards and guidelines, requirements in feedlots and for animal transportation. These regulations apply both domestically and for live export of animals. For specific information on the welfare regulations for the management of fibre goats, refer to relevant local and state authorities.

Publications/ information products

Emerging plant and animal industries: their value to Australian RIRDC publication (2014)

Properties, Processing and Performance of Rare and Natural Fibres: A review and interpretation of existing research results RIRDC publication (2012)

Benchmarking Mohair Production in Australia RIRDC publication (2010)

Going into Goats MLA publication (2006)

The Palatability & Potential Toxicity of Australian Weeds to Goats RIRDC publication (2000)

Australian Goat Notes Australian Cashmere Growers Association publication

Stapleton, D. & Cunningham, D. (2007) The Australian Handbook of Angora Goats and Mohair. Grefell, NSW.  2007

The Merck Veterinary Manual-Overview of health management- Goats

Other resources

Australian Farm Institute

Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources

Goat Industry Council of Australia

Mohair Australia