Present situation and future perspectives for goat production systems in Spain

This article presents the evolution, actual situation and prospects for goat production systems in Spain, taking into account the present day changes of socio-economic, technological and agricultural policies of the European Union (EU). Spain is ranked second in goat population and third in goat milk yield within the EU, nevertheless, similar to the situation in the EU, the goat production systems in Spain are in a critical situation, basically because of the increasing production costs and the lack of a strong central structure in this sector. To improve viability of goat farms in Spain, which, for the most part play an important social and environmental role in the less-developed rural areas, it is necessary to establish a series of strategies. These strategies include: (i) strengthening of the central structure in the sector; (ii) improvement in the training and management capacity of goat farmers and cheese makers; (iii) enhancement of promotion and recognition of goat-related products; (iv) taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the new European Union Common Agricultural Policy; (v) improvement of farmers' quality of life, so that they can maintain their goat operations for future generations; and (vi) increasing development and research activities in this sub-sector of livestock farming. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.