South Korea boosts goat production with dog meat ban Aussies don’t like to eat goat meat
By Kim Kyung-Hee Korea Joongang Daily
A South Korean government push to boost domestic goat meat production is under way as consumption surges following the ban on dog meat, with an aim to build a stable production and distribution system by 2029.
The shift comes in the wake of a ban on breeding, slaughtering and selling dog meat for human consumption that passed on Jan. 9, 2024, with a full ban set to take effect in February 2027. The move reflected shifting social attitudes that increasingly view dogs as pets, growing public pressure over animal cruelty and efforts to improve the country’s international image. “Demand for goat meat has risen rapidly but domestic farm prices are falling as imports of cheaper foreign products increase,” the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said. “We will establish a production and distribution foundation for goat meat by 2029 through breed improvement, livestock farm registration and the introduction of an identification and tracing system.” The initiative aims to strategically foster “Korean goat” brand- ing similar to Korean pork and hanwoo, Korean beef. Goat meat consumption reached 13,710 tons in 2024, double the 6,330 tons recorded in 2020. Imports from Australia and New Zealand surged from 1,160 tons to 8,143 tons, a 600 percent increase, while domestic production remained between 4,700 tons and 5,500 tons over the past five years.
The rise in imports has lowered Korea’s self-sufficiency rate, which stood at 40.6 percent in 2024, down from 45.4 percent in 2023.
Australia is the world’s biggest goat meat exporter, but Aus- tralians are among the least likely in the world to eat it. Producers and scientists are working to put more goat on Australian plates by looking at genetics and finding new ways to use the meat. Aus- tralia produces about 44 per cent of the world’s goat meat exports but in the past, only 9 per cent of domestic goat meat has been consumed locally. In 2024, there were nearly 3.5 million goats slaughtered in Australia and exported.
The ministry plans to develop new goat breeds to increase the average shipping weight from 50 kilograms (110 pounds) to 55 kilo- grams (121 pounds) and shorten the shipping period from a range of 13 to 15 months to 12 months.
The goal is to combine native breeds and Boer goats to produce animals with higher meat yields. Native Black Goats will be recog- nized as indigenous livestock to protect genetic resources. Producer associations will see their roles expanded, while cus- tomized feed management technologies and standardized livestock housing facilities will be developed. Government measures are also being prepared to encourage more farms to officially register their livestock operations. To curb false country-of-origin labeling on imported goat meat, authorities will strengthen online monitoring and on-site inspections while developing scientific methods to verify product origins. The government will also conduct a feasibility study on the introduction of a tracing system.
Regional goat-only slaughterhouses will be supported and stan- dardized process manuals will be created to improve quality control at the slaughter and processing stages. Crackdowns on illegal slaugh- tering will be intensified. Goat auctions at livestock markets will be expanded and price information will be provided online to promote a more transparent trading environment. “We will systematically foster the goat industry to improve farm productivity and stabilize incomes while supplying safe and high- quality goat meat,” Lee Jae-sik, the Director General for Livestock Policy Bureau at the ministry, stated.
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18 Goat Rancher | May 2026
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