A Carmarthenshire couple have started the UK's first goat renting business, offering what they believe is an eco-friendly alternative to lawnmowers. Dawn Hart and Richard White started Bio goats 2 rent three years ago and now have over 200 goats - all of which they know by name - available for hire.
The company describes itself as an eco-friendly weed and brush control company which promotes the use of goats to clear brambles, weeds and rough patches of ground. Mrs Hart, from Clynderwyn, said: “A lot of people did take the mickey out of us initially, but we thought the business was a good idea and it has now taken off.
“The goats clear people’s gardens and patches of rough land and a lot of people find them very therapeutic and like having them in their garden for company.” Read more: 'Tractor obsessed' three-year-old takes TikTok by storm
Goat renting is part of a broader phenomenon called conservation grazing where livestock is used to clear land instead of chemicals and machinery. Mrs Hart and Mr White, who have three children, have had 90 kids so far this spring including six triplets and each of these baby goats will start work in about six months.
“We have over 200 goats now and I know all of them by name,” said Mrs Hart, whose favourite goats are called Felicity, Tiffany, Joy, Cwtch, Princess, Ivy and Foxy.
The entrepreneurial pair started the business three years ago after they looked into purchasing goats for their own farm. Luckily a friend of theirs had some goats he wanted to begin renting but he was moving to South Africa, so Mrs Hart and Mr White bought the goats and expanded his plans.
Now Mrs Hart and Mr White are looking at franchising across the UK as they receive enquiries from across the country, but fuel prices mean most of them aren’t viable. Bio goats 2 rent are usually employed by members of the public and the agricultural sector, but Pembrokeshire County Council also use the business to keep on top of weeds on council land. This is an area Mrs Hart wants to expand the business.
Munching up to eight pounds a day, goats are particularly effective at this job because they attack weeds from the top down. By chomping the leaves and flower heads, the goats effectively kill the plant, but the stem and roots are left intact stopping the soil from eroding.
Due to their incredible digestive systems, goats can eat almost anything including harmful species like poison ivy, poison oak, blackberry, rose bush, and thistle without spreading the weed through their droppings. They are also immune to prickly thorns and itchy ivy. Goat herds are much better for the environment too as no harmful chemicals are used and the goats’ hooves and urine fertilise the soil.
Not only are goats effective at their job, they also bring smiles to the local community. Mrs Hart said: “My kids absolutely loved having them on the farm. Some ladies who hired the goats liked having them in their garden for the company. The goats like human company.”
The herd is made up of mostly Boer Goats, but there are also a few Anglo Nubian and Bagot goats too. The cost of renting a herd of goats depends on your plot size, how many goats you require, the goats’ welfare and security, and whether you need a herdsperson.
Mrs Hart said: “Big jobs normally require 30 goats. On small jobs we like them to go out in threes as they don’t like being alone, so we always make sure they have some company.” If fencing is not practical the goats are fitted with a GPS collar.
Mrs Hart explained: “The GPS collar works on a frequency system which gives the goat a little shock if they go outside the boundary. “The goats tend to be very well behaved.”
Bournemouth Council has been using goats to target undesirable species such as holm oak, Japanese knotweed and bamboo and help restore the cliffs along the Dorset coast.
Goat renting is already an established and lucrative business in some countries. Founded in 2010, Rent A Goat is a California based business that has enjoyed national coverage for its successful business. In the Australian outback goat herds are used to keep the pastures under control, preventing bush fires.
