THE Goat Breeders Association of Zimbabwe (GBAZ) says it is worried by the number of individuals in the country who are claiming to be Boer goat stud breeders when none of them have satisfied the stringent international requirements for stud breeders.

GBAZ president, Crispen Kadiramwando, told The Financial Gazette that although there are many people who are into Boer goat breeding in Zimbabwe, none of them is certified by the Zimbabwe Boer Goat Society (ZBGS) as a boer goat stud breeder.
“We do not have any Boer goat stud breeder who is certified in this country… we are the association that registers them… and so far we do not have any breeder that is a certified stud breeder,” he said.
He warned that many ordinary Boer goat breeders on the local market were passing themselves off as stud breeders, when they were not, a misrepresentation that he said confused those looking for certified breeds.
“We have people in this country who are claiming to be stud breeders and this is something that is worrying to us as an association because being a stud breeder is something different altogether, for one has to be certified by the association. These people are going to South Africa and Namibia and bringing in stud stock and they think they automatically become stud breeders… this is not the case. It is a process that starts with the training,” he said. 
He explained that for one to qualify and be specified stud breeder, they must have passed a minimum of two advanced courses and have one stud buck and a minimum of 30 stud ewes. 
In addition to this, their farm should be inspected to ensure that their records, facilities and breeding programme comply with the strict international standards set by the South Africa Boer Goat Breeders’ Society.
Boer goats are a premier goat breed developed in South Africa in the early 1900s for meat production. 
The most prized adult male Boer goat often reaches weights of up to 160 kg with females reaching 110 kg. 
He said the ZBGS has not registered anyone because it does not want to compromise standards for short-term gain at the expense of the future of the country’s goat industry.
“We have said we are going to stick to our constitution and we are not going to compromise on standards. The Boer goat in South Africa should be the same Boer goat in Zimbabwe, the same in the UK or in Zambia. We must follow one standard and the standard that we are talking about is the standard that comes from South Africa, who are the pioneers of this breed,” Kadiramwando said.
He said most players in the goat industry were bringing in their stock from South Africa and Namibia and taking the certificates of those animals to the Zimbabwe Head Book (ZHB) where they register as members and go on to claim to be Boer goat stud breeders. 
“Some of them (imported goats) are actually very good looking, but unfortunately, those people are not certified stud breeders… they will not be able to stand with an animal in the event that someone finds problems with it because they are not registered breeders. 
“You don’t become a stud breeder by buying stud stock, but by practice and by merit.”
He said membership of the ZHB is just for the purpose of stock monitoring not certification as a stub breeder.
“The Zimbabwe Head Book has no mandate to qualify anyone as a stud breeder… they can only become stud breeders by confirmation and by certification by the association.”
Before the land reform programme took a toll on the country’s farming sector, Zimbabwe used to have a thriving Boer goat industry that exported meat, sperm and stud embryos to other parts of the world.
Kadiramwando said it was necessary to clean up the industry now so that when Zimbabwe gets back to the goat export market — which is dominated by South Africa and Namibia — the quality of its products would be beyond reproach.
As part of its efforts to equip local players in the goat industry, the association will next month be conducting a basic training programme for Boer goat breeders and another one will be held in February next year. 
Instructors from South Africa and Namibia will conduct the training courses.
For one to qualify to do a senior course, they should pass two basic courses, and it takes two of these advanced courses to be a fully trained stud breeder. 
It is this qualification, with actual practice on that then gets one to be certified and registered as a stud breeder.
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