Goats introduced to Australia come from a great variety of backgrounds and the acclimated readily to the Australian environment. Some early efforts were made to develop a goat fleece industry in Australia. William Riley in 1832 imported some animals to his property and tried to encourage the development of a Cashmere fleece industry. It took another 150 years for Australian Graziers to develop some of his concepts.
Cashmere was effectively rediscovered in Australian goats in 1972 by Dr Ian Smith and Mr Wal Clarke.
By the late 1970s a number of breeders were toying with the concept of developing an Australian Cashmere goat derived from selected bush goats. Interest and morale was boosted when in 1980, Dawson International of Scotland, then the largest Cashmere manufacturer purchased a property at Adelong, NSW and set up a demonstration farm to encourage production of Australian Cashmere.
Some 40 years on, much has been learnt. The heaviest cutting ‘bred-on’ Cashmeres are now producing more than 1 kg of Cashmere down. The new breed of Cashmere goat has been called the Merrrit after the performance recording program that aided in their development.
The Australian Cashmere goat has hardiness; retained from its bush goat origins. Multiple births and good mothering ability are normal. Cashmeres are an environmentally friendly and cost effective means of weed control and assist in pasture management and improvement.
There is no crutching, mulesing or jetting with Cashmeres, flystrike is not a problem.
Australian Cashmere has been scientifically proven to be softer than other Cashmeres at the same fibre diameter. This is due to the slightly lower fibre curvature produced by goats that are well nourished and maintained in a healthy condition.
Cashmere is the finest and softest of the commercially available textile fibres. As with wool, finer fibre diameter is softer and more valuable.
