Critics urge charities to give up the goat

The promotion of feelgood Christmas gifts such as goats for poor African farmers has provoked an unseasonable war of words between charities.



Oxfam, Christian Aid, Help the Aged and others are wooing the ethical shopper with pictures of cute goats wearing Christmas hats and promises of helping the poor in developing countries.

But the World Land Trust and Animal Aid say that it is “madness” to send goats, cows and chickens to areas where they will add to the problems of drought and desertification.

John Burton, director of the trust, said he was furious that, despite previous disputes over ethical giving, Oxfam had not entered a constructive dialogue with him.



“I was prepared to put this down to ignorance of the issues last year but now it seems utterly cynical,” he said. “They seem to be doing this just to make money at Christmas. It’s a gimmick.”

The trust claims that goats have a devastating effect because they “eat everything in sight”.