“They eat what most animals won’t eat”.
A Cork-based company called Billy’s Rent a Goat is offering the services of a team of friendly goats to graze land and keep non-native plants and shrubs in check.
The team of eight goats were recently brought in to chow down on unwanted vegetation such as Old Man’s Beard at Beaumont Quarry in Cork.
The goats are Johnny, Snooky, Zeus, Nico, Cyberus, Willow and brothers, Luigi and Mario, and are employed by business owner William Walsh to offer the environmentally friendly grazing service.
Speaking to the Examiner, William explained why the team of male goats are so well suited to the job.
“Goats can go where people can’t, they eat what most animals won’t eat and they leave behind nothing but fertiliser while digesting and sterilising more than 99% of seeds.”
“Our workforce is mainly rescued male goats, giving them another chance and purpose. I believe ‘everything has a purpose’.”
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Goats are adept at accessing steep terrains and hard-to-reach parts of land, and will happily chow down on the likes of nettles, rushes, briars and ivy.
The team at Billy’s Rent a Goat were most recently deployed at Beaumont Quarry to munch on the invasive Old Man’s Beard (clematis), which was originally introduced to Ireland as an ornamental garden plant. It has since spread to the natural environment and is particularly invasive to the southern half of the country.
William accompanies the goats to the site each day where they’re fenced in to focus on the problem areas, and are brought home every evening.
Dog owners in the area have been advised to keep their pets under effective control and on a leash if walking in the quarry, to ensure the goats are stress-free whilst busy at work.
Header image via Instagram/billysrentagoat
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