1. WHAT IS THE CURRENT SITUATION OF IGA IN SPAIN?

IGA’s situation is good and is really improving quickly. We have a Spanish member on the Board of Directors (Dr. J. Capote), and we feel that the voice of our researchers, technicians and goat keepers have easy access to the organization. It is also making easy my role as contact point between the Spanish goat world and the IGA organization.

Today the number of IGA Spanish members is not a good reflection on the importance of goats in our country, but I am trying to improve this situation. With this purpose I have established a network, and a mailing list including all Spanish IGA members, but also other people (researchers, transference technicians, etc) and institutions (breeders associations, cooperatives, etc) not included in the organization.

Nevertheless I think that the celebration of the 2012 International Conference on Goats in Spain will be a turning point in the definitive extension of IGA in our country. Now the preparation of the event is producing general interest in IGA, both at the public and private levels.

2. WHAT IS THE CURRENT SITUATION OF GOATS IN SPAIN?

Today Spain is the second country of Europe in census with more than 4 million animals, but probably if we put together data of census, with productions, repercussion in the agricultural national richness and level of organization of the subsector, probably Spain is the most relevant country in the continent.

We count with the biggest goat biodiversity of Europe with 27 local breeds and varieties. Seventeen of them are endangered, two are not officially recognized and only five are competitive breeds. Eight of these are dairy goats while the other 19 are specialized for meat production.

Other international breeds are present is Spain such as Saanen, Alpine and Anglo Nubian, but due to the strong situation of the dairy local breeds their role is almost irrelevant.

All these populations count with official breeders association and count with active conservation programs or breeding programs depending upon their situation. I have to point out the development of CAPRIGRAM, the Murciano-Granadina Association located in Granada, which count with modern genetic evaluations based in the BLUP Animal Model and publish a yearly Catalogue of sires, at the same level of other international breeds.

Unfortunately, the subsector was receiving the terrible influence of globalization (a reduction of grants and subsidies), energetic crisis (prices of animal feeds), and competition with other sectors (mainly services) by the hand work, lands, water and investments. The effects of the economic crisis are very hard for goat keepers, especially because the access to bank financial support is almost impossible. Now all the farm management must be done with direct investments because no credit is accessible.

That situation together with the old age of the average farmer has resulted in the lessening of these activities and a reduction in the total number of farms.

3. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE GOAT SECTOR IN SPAIN?
a. WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS?

As final general comment I want to point out my optimism about goat production in Spain. I am sure that if there is some farm activity where Spain is really competitive it is in goats, especially in milk production. We have a cultural specialization, a great richness in genetic resources, a popular demand of products, and an excellent scientific specialization (more than 20 research teams of the best level are working on goats in Spain).

b. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

As negative points I have to point out the luck of internal organizations. Breeders Associations are working in isolation, avoiding the possibility to attend common problems together, it produces a continuous lose of human and economical resources. We have to look for an increasing of the added value of the products to get it in the hand of producers. Presently most of the Spanish goats’ milk and meat products are commercialized by means of intermediaries with destination to the conventional commerce and the fabrication of inter-specific cheeses of low quality. We need to increase the development of goat specific trademarks, protected geographical indications, protected denomination of origin, organic production, and any other chance to obtain the mentioned added value.