Changes occurring in dairy goat production systems in less favoured areas of Spain

In recent decades there has been a worldwide increase in the intensification process of the livestock sector. This study looks into the changes that have taken place in goat farms in less favoured areas of Spain by comparing the situation of systems in the Northern Sierra of Seville (SNS), a traditional goat farming area in Spain, in the years 2002 and 2008. The information for this study was collected in 2002 and 2008, from a sample of 22 and 23 dairy goat farmers, respectively. A farm survey was conducted, composed of 95 items, grouped into the following sections: animal base, infrastructures and facilities, feeding, reproduction, milk production and animal health. For either of the two years of study a multivariate analysis has been conducted through a multiple correspondence analysis followed by a cluster analysis. Four groups have been identified for each year, showing a diverse range of farms whereby the most intensive farms coexist with those that continue to practise grazing. The following main changes have been observed throughout the study: (i) the herd size is increasing; (ii) the supply of concentrates and straw has increased significantly but use of forage has decreased; (iii) the lactation length has increased; (iv) milking facilities and feed distribution systems have been modernized; and (v) the animal health has substantially improved. Other important changes, although less significant, are the establishment of reproductive groups on the farms, genetic improvement of herds by absorbing the dairy breed Florida and improving goat productivity. Most changes have focused on intensifying the productive systems. Some drivers behind these changes are the loss of grazing as a feed source for goats, acceptable prices for the purchase of feeds during the period studied, the increase in milk demand from industry, EU aids and willingness of the farmers to improve their working conditions. Evolutions of purchase feed and sold milk prices together with EU agricultural policy evolution will determine the future of dairy goat production.