The creation of the SA Boer Goat Breeders’ Association, thanks to the forward thinking and vision of its founding members, transformed the indigenous boer goat into the best meat goat breed in the world in terms of meat quality, growth rate, fertility as well as hardiness and adaptability. This is a unique achievement, considering the existence of over 341 goat breeds.
The fete is even more impressive, considering the poor quality of the goats these breeders had to start off with. According to the SA Boer Goat Breeders' Association, the old African goat had a lot of baggage, being described as having poor build, veld destroyer and wayward animal. The breeders managed to offset these problems through careful selection and cross-breeding.
The SA Boer Goat offers various services to promote, enhance and protect the breed. Firstly, it has set the standards to which animals have to conform to register as stud animals. It offers inspection services for breeders and flock farmers to help with the classing of goats, in other words, whether the goats should be culled, used in a flock or stud. Each breeder has to be inspected every other year.
The inspectors consist of competent members, who have been appointed by the SA Boer Goat Breeders' Association. Farmers are charged an inspection fee and a small amount, per number of animals tagged. The inspectors also have to be compensated for travelling costs at a rate per kilometre.
The SA Boer Goat Breeders Association also organises a World show in Bloemfontein every second year, which is alternated with a national Show during the other years. The association’s panel of judges evaluate the goats during these events, allowing attendants to benchmark themselves against others and see the best specimens of the breed.
To participate in these shows ewes, six tooth and older, should be visibly pregnant, be positively scanned or be accompanied with a pregnancy certificate which is not older than 1 month prior to the show.
An official Auction is hosted annually at Bloemfontein, in which only members are allowed to participate. Animals are inspected before the auction to ensure they conform to certain standards. Commission is charged on the goats that are sold.
The association annually hosts two courses during which the breed standards are discussed and demonstrated. Two-day courses are also held when the need arises.
South Africa is a relatively minor goat producing country, possessing approximately 3% of Africa’s goats and less than 1% of the world’s...