PERSPECTIVE – 30 March 2007

Workers offload Angora goat carcasses from a flatbed trailer in the Eastern Cape.
Issue Date: 30 March 2007

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Workers offload Angora goat carcasses from a flatbed trailer in the Eastern Cape. The province was hit by a wet and windy cold snap in early March which resulted in the loss of an estimated 20 000 goats. Many farmers have expressed concern that inbreeding and a lack of hardiness in their flocks are to blame for the losses. Most of the dwindling number of stud breeders in the industry have chased after finer hair, as dictated by market trends. But it’s known that goats with coarser, heavier and more oily fleeces can withstand inclement weather well. “Whereas I previously only shed my shorn flock under extreme conditions, I now have to round them up and keep them under roof at the slightest sign of bad weather. If I don’t, I could be wiped out overnight as my animals have become very sensitive to cold, rainy conditions,” said one farmer. – Roelof Bezuidenhout

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