According to the national agricultural census of 2002, there were more than 193 000 goats in Poland, including 111 000 does (GUS, 2003); the agricultural census of June 2010 showed that there were 117 268 goats, including 93 490 does of at least one year of age (GUS, 2011). These animals were maintained on 27 785 farms, which means that there had been a significant decrease in the number of herds compared with 2002 (68 000), while the size of herds increased (from 2.8 animals, including 1.6 does, in 2002, to 4.2 animals, including 3.4 does, in 2010). For comparison, in 2010, there were 1 060 700 farms (46.6 percent of all farms maintaining livestock) keeping cattle, with a total population of 5 760 585, including 2 516 725 dairy cows.
In both 2002 and 2010, most farms maintained only a single goat. Large herds counting 20 or more goats accounted for 1.6 percent in 2010 (0.6 percent in 2002). Between 2002 and 2010, there were increases in the proportions of herds maintaining 5–9 goats (from 10.3 to 13.3 percent) and 10–19 goats (from 1.8 to 3.5 percent). Low average herd size is usually characteristic of the extensive system of animal husbandry, which prevails in Poland.
Active population size and breed structure
Although the entire population of dairy goats in Poland counted almost 100 000 does in 2010, less than 0.2 percent of this total was in the active population included in official milking control. By 2007, the number of goats had increased steadily and more than 5 percent of the population was included in milking control (Figures 2 and 3). It became possible to use modern methods to estimate breeding values. Until 2006, the costs of milking control were lower than the support provided by the Fund for Biological Progress. However, when goat farming subsidies ceased, many farmers stopped par-ticipating in the milking recording programme and the active population of goats fell drastically after 2007 (from 105 herds in 2006 to 36 in 2007). There were only 19 herds with 192 does under official milking control in 2013 (PZOw, 2014).
The most numerous breeds in the active population before 2007 were Polish White Improved (40 percent of the active population) and Polish Fawn/Coloured Improved (21 percent). There were also pure Saanen (16 percent) and French Alpine goats (3
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cent) (PZO, 2008). This breed structure more or less reflects the structure of the whole goat population. Recently, there have also been herds of Boer and Anglo-Nubian goats.
FIGURES 2. NUMBERS OF HERDS IN THE ACTIVE POPULATION INCLUDED IN OFFI-CIAL MILKING CONTROL IN POLAND
FIGURE 3. NUMBERS OF GOATS IN THE ACTIVE POPULATION INCLUDED IN OFFI-CIAL MILKING CONTROL IN POLAND
Polish White Improved goats are descendants of local breeds with white coats. The most numerous population of this type of goat survived in Opole region. These goats were mated with Czech White Shorthaired bucks imported from the former Czechoslovakia, and German White Improved bucks from the former German Democratic Republic.
In the 1980s, male breeding material from Opole region was sold to other regions of Poland for mating with local white goats. After the political restructuring of Poland, in 1990 imports from Belgium, France and the Netherlands started, and Saanen bucks were used to improve Polish White Improved goats. The goats of this Polish breed are large. Females measure about 70 cm at the withers and weigh 45–65 kg, while males measure 80 cm and weigh 60–100 kg. Animals should have a white coat, and grey spots on the udder are allowed only in older goats. Hair is short, and ears are erect
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both genders are bearded and can be horned. However, the offspring of two hornless parents can be hermaphrodite. The milk yield can reach 1 400–1 500 kg in 260–280 days of lactation, but the average is about 600–700 kg. Fertility is 92–97 percent, and prolificacy 160–185 percent.
Polish Fawn Improved goats were derived from local goats maintained in Upper Silesia and Opole province. These animals were improved by mating with German Fawn Im-proved and French Alpine bucks. Currently, they are kept throughout Poland. They are similar in size to the Polish White Improved breed. Females measure about 65 cm at the withers and weigh 45–60 kg, while males measure 80 cm and weigh 60–100 kg. Animals should have a red-brown coat, with a dark stripe along the back and darker legs. Hair is short, and only the hair along the back can be longer. As in Polish White Improved goats, animals of the Polish Fawn Improved breed have erect and forward-facing ears, while vestigial ears are not allowed. Animals of both genders are bearded and can be horned; the offspring of two hornless parents can be hermaphrodite. The average milk yield is about 600–700 kg, but can reach 1 400 kg. Fertility is 87–97 percent, and prolificacy 160–175 percent.
Three local breeds were recognized in Poland: sandomierska in Sandomierz region;
kazimierzowska, in the region around the town of Kazimierz Dolny; and Carpathian, which were maintained in the Carpathian Mountains. Sandomierz and Kazimierz Dolny are situated to the central-southeast of the country. The mountains lie on the southern border. The sandomierska breed was characterized by long hair and were white pinto goats (grey, black or yellowish-brown). Kazimierzowska goats were black with long thick hair. A characteristic feature of this breed was the golden-yellow colour of the iris. The milk yield of both breeds was about 300–400 kg per lactation. Local breeds are characterized by excellent adaptation to local environmental conditions, but they usually have low yields and so they almost disappeared. Carpathian goats are not only a Polish breed, but were bred in the whole territory of the Carpathian Mountains.
The largest population is in Romania, but these differ from those in Poland, which are white with long hair, while the coats of Romanian goats are of different colours. Polish Carpathian goats are small: does measure 45–55 cm at the withers and weigh 30 kg, and bucks measure 55–60 cm and weigh 55 kg. These goats have long hair and erect, forward-facing ears. They are bearded and all animals are horned. Most animals have a characteristic fringe. The milk yield is about 450 kg per lactation, fertility is 100 percent, and prolificacy 150–160 percent (Kaba and Bagnicka, 2009).
The role of goats in food production
At present there is no goat meat market in Poland and goat meat production is of very little importance. Polish eating habits result in negligible demand, which is limited to the largest cities and associated with a small group of restaurants serving gourmet food and, particularly, the cuisine of Arab countries. In the 1990s, a small number of live kids were exported to Italy before Easter. The prices of slaughter kids did not differ from those of lambs. Kids were sold when they weighed more than 9 kg (2 000–4 000 kids a year). However, exports have been negligible for a long time. Currently, only six herds are under official control, with 98 does and 9 bucks of the Boer breed. Boer bucks are also used for breeding goats of dairy breeds to obtain progeny with improved traits for meat production. However, there is no economic rationale for rapid development of goat meat production.
The average milk yield of goats under official control ranges from 500 to 700 kg per lac-tation, and the average productivity of goats in the uncontrolled population is probably lower. Goat milk production was estimated at about 38 000 tonnes in 2002 (Niżnikowski,
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Strzelec and Popielarczyk, 2003) and has most likely remained at a similar level. More than 90 percent of milk is processed on-farm for own use or in agritourism, or in small, domestic dairies for direct sales at fairgrounds and festivals, or through delivery to small health/organic food shops. For comparison, the production of cow milk is about 12 million tonnes.
The market for goat milk and its products has increased by 10–15 percent per year, even though the lack of funds for promotion and awareness raising restricts its devel-opment. Exports have also been developing recently, mainly to the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine. Goat products imported into Poland come mainly from France and Greece.
As already mentioned, many of the farms keeping dairy goats in herds of various sizes (from a few to hundreds) process the milk in their own factories. These small factories produce a variety of products: cottage cheese, rennet, salted, matured and whey chees-es, yoghurt, butter, ice cream, pastries and confectionery supplies. Large commercial farms do not usually process their own milk, and, instead, sell it to one of several dairies that buy goat milk. Currently, these dairies buy more than 6 percent of the total pro-duction of goat milk. The price of milk depends on the conditions of its delivery. Dairies that collect milk directly from farms two or three times a week offer prices that are 15–30 percent lower than those offered when the farmers deliver the milk themselves.
Since 2000, the price of milk has increased by about 30 percent. Goat milk is twice as expensive as cow milk. Recently, dairies have introduced a payment system for milk that takes into account the protein and fat content and the number of microorganisms, and uses a system of subsidies for the quantity of milk supplied in a given month.
Small ruminants can also be used for the active conservation of nature. The grazing of animals of native breeds on semi-natural pastures can be a source of additional revenue as part of an agro-environmental programme. Traditional grazing systems are now the basis for developing agri- and ecotourism, which – when native breeds are used – also contribute to revitalizing these breeds. In the social dimension, it is important that farmers are viewed increasingly as not only producers of food but also guardians of the environment and natural landscape. For the environment, animal husbandry based on grassland contributes to the conservation of biological diversity of semi-natural habi-tats. This use of small ruminants is especially important because 20 percent of Poland’s territory is covered by the Natura 2000 network. At the same time, goats and other small ruminants also have a cultural function as providers of traditional foods, which are currently fashionable. This function contributes significantly to the development of local tourism and crafts, making goats an important factor in stimulating regional econ-omies. For example, goats are an increasingly popular feature of agritourism, which is based on accommodation and activities related to farms and their surroundings. With their relatively small body size and calm nature, goats do not raise anxiety in humans.
Communing with small ruminants can inspire people to learn about the animals’ biology and behaviour, stimulates a sense of responsibility and care, and encourages a wider interest in the animal world. Contact with animals for recreational purposes has a posi-tive effect on the personality, especially among children, who are the most enthusiastic participants in agritourism. The presence of goats in agritourism also provides a source of their products (milk, meat). Food and goods made from the milk, meat and skins of goats can be an additional source of income for farms in a region.
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