Allergy

There is a common belief that goat milk is a sound alternative for infants or children with cow milk protein allergy. This has resulted in the promotion of goat milk and goat milk products for relief of allergy. However, scientific studies show that goat milk is not always an effective substitute for cow milk in children who are already sensitised to cow milk protein and have a rapid onset, IgE-mediated reaction to cow milk proteins. Only extensively hydrolysed formulas should be used for the dietary management of infants with diagnosed cow milk protein allergy.¹

There are several lines of evidence that the strength and type of the immune response to goat and cow milk might still differ. For example, children allergic to cow milk required nearly five times more goat milk to trigger an adverse reaction.² In another study, 25% of children allergic to cow milk did not react to goat milk at all.³ Children with allergy to cow milk proteins had a lower response to goat milk containing low amounts of αs1-casein.⁴ Similarly, studies with animals have also shown that lower levels of αs1-casein in goat milk resulted in fewer allergic reactions.⁵

Further research will help to understand how people might respond differently to goat or cow milk.

Until such studies have been completed, it is important that goat milk infant formula is not promoted as a remedy for infants with severe reactions to cow milk.

¹	AAP 2000; Koletzko et al, 2012
²	Bellioni-Businco et al 1999
³	Infante et al 2003
⁴	Ballabio et al, 2011; Albenzio et al 2012; Lisson et al 2014
⁵	Bevilacqua et al 2001; Hodgkinson et al 2012

Find out more

Animal Welfare and Health

New Zealand has a strict Code of Welfare for Goats. It specifies what is considered to be optimal animal welfare and how this may be achieved for goats farmed under New Zealand conditions. DGC farms are required to follow the New Zealand Code of Welfare for Goats as well as DGC’s own Code of Farm Practice.

Spray Drying

DGC’s spray drying plant has been designed specifically to process goat infant formula.

Spray drying is the process of removing water from the milk, producing the beginning of the fine powder that is eventually found in the finished product.

Our spray dryers are kept meticulously clean and the most recent, second spray dryer was built in 2015.

For Families

DGC is of the land, because we are a co-operative of goat farmers who live and breathe by the rhythms of nature. From sun up to sundown, in all kinds of weather, we are caring for our goats – cutting and serving fresh forage for their breakfast, lunch and dinner, milking at day’s break and day’s end, checking the bedding, and generally keeping a watchful eye over the welfare of all, from the littlies to the biggies.

It’s everyday family care. This is appropriate since DGC is itself a family, and we work together with a single focus, on making a better infant formula for the world. Whether it is at 5.30am milking Saturdays and Sundays, or in our labs developing world-class research, or packing our cans safely.

We are proud to be farming a natural food and managing its production all the way to market. And that’s why we feel good about putting our name on it, knowing it is going on to feed and nurture families just like ours.

Dairy Goat Co-Operative Trust

The Dairy Goat Co-operative’s 72 shareholders farm in some of New Zealand’s premium farming regions – Northland, Waikato and Taranaki. Their ability to do what they do, is enabled by the strength and resilience of the communities which they support, and which support them.