Marketing goat dairy produce in the UK

Goats have always been part of the fringes of agriculture in the UK. They were probably introduced by the Romans 2000 years ago. During the middle ages they were seen as undesirable probably because they did not conform with the new agricultural revolution. Since those times and in fact as recently as the last 30 years there has been an increase in interest in goat production which as may be expected has followed increased market possibilities for the products. This paper briefly describes the background to the current situation where a small but efficient dairy goat industry has developed and where a range of products are now made and are marketed through various outlets from small specialist cheese shops to the major super market chains. Some of the strategies that have lead to successful marketing are examined and also the part that legislation has played in these developments is also considered. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.