The research is one outcome of Caprine Innovations NZ (Caprinz), a five-year, $29.65 million partnership between the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Dairy Goat Co-operative, launched in August last year.
Caprinz, through clinical trials and on-farm research, aims to build a portfolio of reliable science-based information about goat milk infant formula products for health professionals advising clients or patients on feeding options when exclusive breast-feeding is not feasible.
Co-op chief executive David Hemara said achieving these outcomes will be a result of intensive international consumer research, on-farm studies to better understand the environmental footprint and clinical research to a level that has never been done on goat milk products before.
“End goals include providing information based on sound science around goat milk formula, growing research and farming capability and increasing export revenue across the NZ dairy goat milk industry to $400m per annum by 2023,” Hemara said.
“In concert with the economic benefits Caprinz also aims to create more than 400 new jobs on-farm, double the size of the country’s milking goat herd to around 100,000 while improving dairy goat farming practice and sustainable production and boosting capability across the industry.”
The clinical research work will complement multi-year focus groups the co-op has held around the world canvassing the views and concerns of parents, caregivers, paediatricians and health practitioners.
The co-op is working with an international board of paediatricians who provide invaluable insight into the type of research their members and audiences need to validate perceptions about goat milk infant formula.
“At home the Caprinz programme has been a catalyst for extending our science capabilities with the creation of new positions.
“We have always been strong in research to understand the unique properties of goat milk and had previously conducted clinical trials to research the functional differences of goat milk for infants and young children.
“However, until this partnership we had not been able to combine both fields of study. The Caprinz partnership has enabled us to expand our capacity so we can undertake more pre-clinical and clinical research, which we hope will add valuable data to the body of scientific knowledge and deliver benefits to the industry and the economy.
“Our on-farm research will focus on the development of practical tools to build capability and support the sustainable and environmentally balanced growth of the industry.”
“The Caprinz partnership has enabled a unique research programme, which will deliver knowledge and confidence to health professionals around the world, growing demand for NZ-produced goat milk infant formula.
“The programme will also have a practical and valuable impact on-farm with new knowledge, competencies and consistency in an industry which is in growth mode.”
