Interest in Indigenous Veld Goats is growing despite the Indigenous Veld Goat Society waiting now for two years for the breed to be registered with the Registrar of Animal Improvement.
The Society’s membership grew from 13 to 93 within a year and top animals at the society’s previous two sales were sold at phenomenal prices. This prompted the society to present a third sale within a year of the first. he sale takes place at the Bloemfontein show grounds on 16 February. The sale animals may be viewed on Friday afternoon and all interested people are welcome to attend a breeders’ meeting on Friday 15 February at 5pm. A total of 200 ewes and 50 rams will be on offer. Schalk van der Walt, founder president of the fledgling Indigenous Veld Goat Breeders’ Society, promises that the quality of the animals on offer will be impressive. All animals will be presented in good veld condition and screened by a panel of selectors beforehand, who will focus on functional efficiency and the respective male and female breed characteristics. Schalk explained that the main goal of the is to protect the unique genetic characteristics of the breed. gene pool potentially consists of more than a million animals in Africa alone, with possibly the same number in neighbouring countries. he last word goes to the Registrar of Animal Improvement who has made it clear that in his opinion the formalisation of this important indigenous African livestock breed is long overdue. – Chris Nel Contact Schalk van der Walt on (051) 654 0150 or (051) 654 0302 or 082 927 1806 or e-mail [email protected].
