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La Societe plans to create its own breeding goat herd

La Societe Guernesiaise is looking to do more to secure the future of the Royal Golden Guernsey Goat breed.

The young goats at Peter Girard’s farm are expected to join the herd in July or August.
The young goats at Peter Girard’s farm are expected to join the herd in July or August. / Guernsey Press

Following a symposium at Government House last autumn, La Societe held a follow-up event at Les Caches Farm where interested parties heard from Peter Girard, the Soil Farm, the States Vet and others.

‘This has been a meet-up of people who are involved, or are keen to get involved, with the Royal Golden Guernsey Goat Association,’ said La Societe president Felicity Quevatre-Malcic.

‘We have had people who are interested in breeding or conservation.’

La Societe’s Conservation Herd is looking to do both as it looks to integrate Royal Golden Guernseys with its steers.

Left to right, La Societe’s Conservation herd manager Will Harford-Fox, La Societe president Felicity Quevatre-Malcic, Guernsey Goat Society president Peter Girard, and Jock Pettitt from The Soil Farm.
Left to right, La Societe’s Conservation herd manager Will Harford-Fox, La Societe president Felicity Quevatre-Malcic, Guernsey Goat Society president Peter Girard, and Jock Pettitt from The Soil Farm. / Sophie Rabey/Guernsey Press

‘Goats graze different things to cows,’ said herd manager Will Harford-Fox.

‘They will work well together. There will be times when they are together. Some sites will be good for them to graze together and there are other sites where the goats will have a bigger impact.’

The young goats at Peter Girard’s farm are expected to join the herd in July or August.

The meeting also addressed the number of goats in Guernsey and Mr Harford-Fox said that once things have settled they would look at breeding.

‘We could stabilise the breed by creating our own breeding herd hopefully, but that will be much further down the line once we have found our feet,’ he said.

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