Australia's first Goat Industry Sustainability Framework takes shape

By John Falkenhagen, Goat Industry Council of Australia President   

Australia’s goat industry is a dynamic and growing sector.

In 2025, it accounted for around 61% of global goatmeat export volume, and this doesn’t account for the valuable dairy and fibre products that were produced during this time.

Despite the growing outputs of our industry, Australia is without a goat sustainability framework.

That is why the Goat Industry Council of Australia (GICA), with support from MLA and project partners, is driving the development of Australia’s first Goat Industry Sustainability Framework (GISF).

The GISF is a practical, industry-owned framework that will define our sustainability priorities, establish indicators and metrics, support data collection and reporting, and help drive continuous improvement.

Why create a GISF?

The world around us is changing. Customers, governments, regulators, investors and the wider community are increasingly asking industries to demonstrate their sustainability credentials.

For the goat industry, this presents both challenges and opportunities.

We need to be able to clearly demonstrate our performance and respond to changing expectations, while also building trust and strengthening the reputation of Australian goat products.

The GISF is not about accreditation. It is intended to act as an industry-level sustainability ‘report card’ that helps define priorities, measure performance, identify data gaps and track progress over time.

A framework built by industry, for industry

The Framework is owned by GICA and led by a Sustainability Steering Group (SSG) made up of producers from across the meat, fibre, dairy and live export sectors.

The Framework will reflect real-world priorities.

Evidence-based analysis, a materiality assessment and stakeholder engagement will help identify the sustainability issues that matter most to our industry and its stakeholders.

The GISF will provide a credible source of information about our sustainability performance, identify future research and where investments are needed.

It will also provide transparent reporting, evidence of continuous improvement, help build consumer trust and strengthen the positioning of Australian goat products in domestic and international markets.

Looking ahead

The GISF represents an important investment in the future of Australia’s goat industry.

By understanding where we are today, identifying where we want to be tomorrow, and creating a practical pathway to get there, we are securing the industry’s future.

By working together, we can ensure the industry remains competitive, trusted, resilient and well positioned to meet the expectations of future markets and communities.

For more information, look out for updates via your local GICA representative or reach out to us on the GICA website.