Type the name of the breed you're looking for below

[wpdreams_ajaxsearchlite] Don't see the breed your're looking for? Click here and let us know!

[fbcomments]

Australian Cashmere goat

Place of Origin	Australia
Origin	The Australian Cashmere Goat breed of domestic goat originating in Australia. Goats were liberated on the islands off the coast of Australia by Dutch and Portuguese navigators long before the British settlement of Australia. The introduced goats come from a great variety of backgrounds and they acclimatised readily to the Australian environment.
Purpose	Fiber
Characteristics	Whilst retaining the fertility and hardiness of the bush goat, the Australian Cashmere is quite different in appearance and temperament. In mid winter it will have an excellent overall coverage of long, dense cashmere.
Other Considerations	Cashmere was effectively rediscovered on Australian goats in 1972 when two CSIRO researchers Dr. Ian Smith and Mr. Wal Clarke identified cashmere on some feral goats under inspection at the property of The Australian Mohair Company at Brewarrina. For a number of years the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) maintained a small research herd of selected animals at their Prospect laboratory until budget restraints forced their dispersal. Some important early histological work was carried out during this period. By the late 1970s a number of breeders were toying with the concept of developing and breeding an Australian cashmere goat. Much of this early breeding was hampered by a lack of knowledge of the problems involved and by lack of a fibre market. Interest and morale were given a major boost when in August 1980 Dawson International Limited PLC, Scotland; then the world's largest cashmere processors, purchased a property at Adelong, N.S.W. with the view to setting up a demonstration farm to encourage Australian cashmere production. The chairman of Dawson International Limited, Sir Alan Smith, saw the world cashmere supply situation tightening. Although cashmere represented only a small percentage of the volume of fibre handled by the company, it accounted for 50% of the turnover and was a major contributor to company profitability.