British chef James Whestlor has noticed a problem with an food-and-farming climate where goat cheese rules: Thousands of males goats are being euthanized every year to keep up with the demand.
Wait, why is this? If you’re a farmer, you already know the answer. As Whestlor, who is now a meat producer, told Business Insider, dairy goats require that the does be bred regularly in order to continue milk production. While the female goats can join the milk herd, the boys—viewed as useless, a byproduct—get killed off.
“On a very fundamental point, I just couldn’t understand how an animal can be totally worthless,” Whetlor told BI.
So he did something about it. He started buying up the boys and raising them for goat meat.
The male goat he raises for chops or barbecue don’t reach adult age. Instead, he slaughters them at about 6 or 7 month of age, when he says the meat is “much lighter, fresher and better for you.”
If you’re in the dairy goat business—or are perhaps looking for a new farm venture—perhaps take your cues from Whestlor and seek out the untapped goat-meat market.
