Wednesday 22 August 2012

The Irish Goat Hub

In my time working with goats in Ireland I've discovered many passionate and hardworking individuals who are committed to their craft, often with little support or publicity.  There is also no overall association who work to advertise and develop the overall goat industry from the animals being looked after on farms to the finished product of milk, meat, cheese and cosmetics sold in shops and markets. To this end I've created a 'Goat Hub' where I intend to list any websites or links relating to people working in the goat industry in Ireland.  It will be a place where anyone can visit and discover some of the great work done and products created by these individuals in this country.  The Hub is available on the bottom right hand side of this page or you can check it out here.

Monday 13 August 2012

2012 - United Nations Year of Cooperatives

Did you know that this year is the United Nations Year of Cooperatives? In light of this fact a conference is being held in Macreddin Village in Wicklow on Friday, August 31st next.  A number of important national organisations are jointly involved, including Teagasc.  The focus of the conference is on the practical needs of farmers in bringing food products directly to consumers.

Since the goat industry in this country is relatively small, it is very important that we all work together to promote and develop the sector.  Cooperatives may well play an important part in achieving this. Outlets for goat products, be they dairy or meat, are not widely available and it is hugely important to be proactive in creating new outlets and markets. Whether you wish to sell goats' milk, cheese, ice cream or develop a meat product this conference will provide lots of useful practical information regarding the creation and development of a successful cooperative. Among those taking part are members of well established and highly regarded cooperatives already in operations such as Ring of Kerry Quality Lamb and Burren Beef and Lamb. 

For more information you can download the conference programme here.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Irish Goat Producers Association

If you're interesting in breeding or showing goats in Ireland, be sure to check out the Irish Goat Producers Association Facebook page. Bernie will keep you up to date with all of the latest news from the shows and there are some great pictures up on the page. Most of the members are very experienced goatkeepers and their knowledge could be invaluable if you're new to goats. You can check out the page here.

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Cream of Irish Goats Cheese Rises to the Top!

Congratulations are in order to Yeats Country Food and once again to Michael Finegan for awards recently picked up at the International Cheese Awards in Nantwich, UK. A deluge of of prizes were awarded to Irish cheese producers and among them Yeats Country Spreadable Goats' Cheese and Michael's Boyne Valley Blue. A testament to the quality of goats' milk produced in this country and the dedicated cheese makers turning it into a delicious end product.

Did you notice anything wrong with my headline? If you leave fresh cows' milk overnight you will find that the cream separates and rises from the milk below.  This is due to a compound called aggultinin.  However most cows milk undergoes a process called 'homogenisation' which prevents this separation taking place.  Goats' milk does not contain agglutinin and is therefore naturally homogenised.  This is just one of the claimed health benefits of drinking goats' milk. You can read more about these benefits here.