Goat could ease cost-of-living pressures, but consumers can't buy it, graziers struggle to sell stock

Longreach butcher Jed Marks hopes goat meat becomes more of a staple in the Australian diet. (ABC Rural: Maddelin McCosker)

Every time the door swings open on Jed Marks' outback butcher shop, it's another customer navigating the cost-of-living crisis looking for cheap, quality meat. 

But among the pricey lamb chops and steaks in his Longreach store, there's a lean, tasty option almost everyone overlooks.

With prices in freefall, farmers are desperate to offload thousands of goats. But despite the oversupply, it is still almost impossible to get it onto an Aussie dinner plate.

So with many families struggling to put food on the table, is it time to make goat meat a staple in the Australian diet?

Why is there so much goat meat?

While there's no celebrity spruiking it on Australia Day, goat meat is often cited as the most widely eaten protein in the world.

Domestic supply of goat meat has grown for the past three years, yet MLA figures show only about 15 per cent of that meat is eaten in Australia. (Supplied: Kelly Eastwood)

Mr Marks says despite being consumed in almost every country on the planet, the appetite for it in Australia has fluctuated.

"We found in our shop when it was going strong a lot of people would ask for it … but a lot of people still haven't tried it," he said.

"It's just not one of those things that people are adventurous enough to jump into.

"I really do hope goat can make it back onto tables because it's a beautiful meat."

According to research and marketing body Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the nation's goat meat industry was worth more than $242 million in 2021 with approximately 1.2 million head slaughtered that year.

While the domestic supply has grown every year for the past three years, MLA figures show only about 15 per cent of that meat is eaten in Australia.

Prices paid by abattoirs for goats hit a peak at more than $9 per kilogram in 2022, but even before that goat production was rising as the hardy, productive animal brought in big financial returns.

The number of goats rapidly grew across the country — farm lobby group AgForce estimates the herd went from about 250,000 to more than 2 million in just a couple of years.

So why can't you buy it?

It's one thing to have the goats, but it's another to get the meat to consumers — and with no change to processing capacity at the abattoirs, a perfect storm of bottlenecks, oversupply, and export challenges saw prices crash.

Butcher Jed Marks says customers are still choosing to buy lamb or beef over goat meat even though it is a cheaper alternative. (ABC Rural: Maddelin McCosker)

In western Queensland, graziers like Angus MacDonald held onto animals for months longer than intended, because there was nowhere to send them.

"It's very trying times … your hands are tied by the capabilities of what the abattoirs are doing," he said.

"You just can't sell anything."

Mr MacDonald restocked into goats after the drought in 2016 and now runs around 4,000 head at Moorfield, near Blackall.

As recent rains turned to talk of a returning El Niño, he planned to sell 1,200 animals to protect his healthy pastures. But the earliest booking at an abattoir in New South Wales was in September.

What needs to change?

With consumers crying out for cheaper food, and graziers desperate to sell animals, Stephen Tully, president of the AgForce Sheep, Wool and Goat board said the balance between supply, processing, and demand needed to be found.

"We hear stories of [producers] not having phone calls returned because some of the processors are struggling with big numbers," he said.

Western Meat Exporters' managing director Campbell McPhee. (ABC Rural: Andrea Crothers)

"That probably sets a little bit of a panic … because we don't know when you can kill those goats."

There are some early signs the market is stabilising. Last week, abattoirs in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland processed 47,5000 head of goats — the highest level since 2017.

At Western Meat Exporters in Charleville, the race is on to expand the kill space, but even then Queensland's largest sheep and goat processor cannot run at full capacity.

"A lot of labour was lost through COVID, and processing slowed," managing director Campbell McPhee said.

"If we can maintain [new levels] throughout the year, a lot of this backlog will be cleared."

If the volatility in supply can be overcome, MLA senior market analyst Ripley Atkinson said there would be a unique opportunity for the industry and consumers alike.

"The world is going to be in a protein deficit or protein shortage," he said.

Blackall goat and sheep grazier Angus MacDonald cannot get his goats processed until at least September. (ABC Rural: Kallee Buchanan)

"And we know generally, in numerous markets around the world, there is the demand for a reliable quality protein product.

"We know the reputation of Australian products right around the world is quite strong … and we've obviously got large amounts of goat."

Either way, grazier Angus MacDonald thought the time was right for more consumers to "get into goat".

"There's more room for goat in the Australian diet for sure," he said.