GOATS MILK IN EUROPE

European goat breeding has a strong dairy specialization; with 3% of the world goat population Europe produces 17% of the world goat milk. The number of goats within the EEC (14.5 million) has been increasing for the last 10 years. They represent 83% of the number of goats in Europe. The production of goat milk is mainly found in southern countries of Europe: Greece, Spain and France produce 86% of the milk in the EEC. The systems of production are different: the extensive breeding farms and the small flocks decrease. Specialized milk farms delivering their milk to industry are developing. The systems of transformation on the farm are getting more modem. The industrial transformation of the milk is important in France and in Spain but poorly developed in the other countries. Goat milk is mainly transformed into cheeses consumed differently in every country Goat cheeses suffer from a lack of protection for their traditional denominations. The development of the production of milk and goat cheeses is directly linked to the markets which are not well-know in certain countries and which remain mainly national.