Goats that have cashmere
An Icelandic goat at the goat farm Háafell in Borgarbyggð Iceland
Cashmere is the soft under-hair or down growing on the goat which is covered by guard hair which is coarse.
There were plans in Scotland to start growing cashmere. At the Macaylay institute they imported kids, semen and embryos from Siberia, New Zealand, Tasmania and Iceland from 1986-1988 to be intercrossed and crossed with native feral goats to form the base of Scottish cashmere goats. see here
Currently the biggest producer of cashmere are China,Mongolia, Iran, Tibet and India. The European cashmere industry uses imported cashmere from these countries. There are however growers of cashmere in Europe and the UK. See Devon Fine Fibres . Also there is cashmere product in Australia, New-Zealand and the USA.
In Norway they have introduced the Scottish cashmere goat, see more at Norwegian cashmere goat breeders' society website.
Scottish cashmere goats at Devon Fine Fibres farm in Devon, England
Cashmere and hair
When the hair have been combed off the goat one has a mingle of coarse hair and fine down, the down being the cashmere.
In the image here on left one can see coarse hair; coarse hair with cashmere and on the bottom cashmere from which the coarse hair has been separated.
The cashmere measures less than 18µm and the coarse hair more than 30 µm.
In the image here on left one can see coarse hair; coarse hair with cashmere and on the bottom cashmere from which the coarse hair has been separated.
The cashmere measures less than 18µm and the coarse hair more than 30 µm.