Current status of goat farming in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Goat breeding has a rich history and tradition in the Czech Republic since 1929, and carried out the state milk performance. Goat breeding is focused mainly on milk production and its subsequent processing on dairy products (cheese, yogurt, and kefir) by the breeders. Two predominant dairy goat breeds, the White Shorthaired and the Brown Shorthaired, are reared in this country. These breeds are classified as locally adapted breeds and supported through the program for conservation genetic resource, being kept both on small-scale and large-scale goat farms. In last years, a number of animals, such as the amount of milk production, and also the price of goat dairy products were increased. Breeding program aims to increase production of the milk protein, i.e., both at milk yield and its protein content. Bucks of both breeds, accepted for breeding purposes, are genotyped for loci alpha S1 and kappa casein. The most prevalent genetic variant of the alpha S1 casein locus is allele F, and for kappa-casein locus is allele B. For the White Shorthaired breed, the most common haplotype of casein loci is FCFB, whereas, for the Brown Shorthaired breed, the most common haplotype is FCFA. This breeding program is an important tool for milk improvement toward locally manufactured dairy products.