For more
than a decade, Western Australian goat farmers supplied Capretto (Cabrito) to a
niche export market in Europe. Growers knew exactly what the customer required
and supplied to meet those demands. In return they are well paid for goat kids. Prior to
this, “People got rid of the kids the best way they could”. Goat breeders were
selling kids for $2 to $3 each. However the local market could not consume all
the meat that was available through the abattoirs.
While Cashmere
producers were bringing in up to 1000 kids for slaughter, the financial returns
were pathetic until two of the major farming bodies got together with the Meat
Commission to find an overseas outlet for their produce. The market they found was
Switzerland.
Despite
buying 100,000 Capretto from France each year, the Swiss buyer placed a premium
on the environmentally clean Australian grown commodity. Because most
French Capretto comes from dairy goats where quality control is often absent,
the product lacked consistency, whereas West Australian farmers were able to produce
true Capretto.
To
satisfy the export specifications, farmers were required to supply kids in the
liveweight range 12 – 20 kilos. These dress out between 6 – 10 kilos, however, carcases
in the 5 – 9 kilos are most desirable. The meat colour of the Capretto must be
light (indicating the kid is milk-reared).
With the
infusions of Boer genetics, kids can grow to the correct weight as early as 6
weeks of age and have a dressed weight of 54% of the liveweight. This is a phenomenal
percentage for any meat animal.
The kids
delivered to the abattoir include feral/Boer crosses, angoras and cashmere-crosses
plus dairy kids. The average age of receivals is 10 weeks. Dairy goat breeders
experience problems with dairy kids that grow too big too quickly. Their
conformation is not as good as that of a Boer-type. Dairy kids result in a
leggy carcase that is not attractive.
Farmers,
supplying the export trade, were given a forward
contract guaranteed price of $30 for Capretto, but were heavily penalized for kids
outside the weight range. Overweight carcases of this type were rejected
for export and sold on the local market. By penalizing in this manner, growers soon
learned to meet the market standard. Under-or oversized-carcases returned only
$8.00. “We educate the growers by hitting them in the back pocket where it
hurts the most,” the coordinator said.
The
export Capretto market runs from August to December (southern hemisphere Spring).
Kid goats produced outside these months are sold on the domestic market.
In
season, kids are received each Monday morning at the abbatoir where up to 700
kids are processed in the day. The goats
are killed soon after delivery and snap chilled and bagged. Two days later the
carcases are sent to the processing plant where they are sorted. Small Capretto
carcases are kept whole. Those over 7kgs are chopped into cuts. These are then boxed
and labelled.
Every
week 70 carcases are flown directly to Europe. The remainder are stored
frozen for transport by sea container. The first consignment is shipped from Australia to supply
the Christmas market in Europe. The second delivery meets the Easter demand. In the season, approximately 10,000 Capretto are despatched to Switzerland.
Kid
production increased enormously after the introduction of the South African
Boer genetics. At first only 2-3000 Capretto
per year were being exported, but as the market became known, a few farmers
started producing specifically to fill this market. The first large commercial
breeder turned over 2000 kids each season.
This
raised the possibility of supplying Capretto to other European or overseas
markets where the demand is on-going.
Today the major Australian exporter of goat meat is Western Meat
Exporters Pty Ltd situated at Charleville in South West Queensland, Australia (more
in the forthcoming post on Chevon/mutton).
The bulk
of this article (by the author) was first published in The Goat Farmer magazine in 2000.
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