Residents of Moffat, Dumfriesshire, are campaigning against the loss of the herd, which has been in the area for centuries, when Carrifran Glen is converted into woodland later this year.
They will today meet officials from the Borders Forest Trust, who insist that the goats must go because they would destroy the developing woodland by eating the new trees. The trust plans to ship the Scottish herd to a Lancashire hill farm.
Experts say the goats are a rare breed that has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages, and should be protected.
Terence Leigh, the chairman of the Friends of Moffat Water Association, which was created to fight to keep the goats, said yesterday: "No-one in the area wants to see these goats moved. They have lived in the valley for hundreds of years and are much loved by locals and ramblers alike.
"We do not oppose the woodland project, but we feel that the trust could protect the trees without having to clear out the goats."
He added: "Monday’s meeting is crucially important to the future of the valley. The trust has so far refused to listen to our arguments, but we hope that this will be a turning point."
Hugh Chalmers, the director of the Wildwood project, which will see nearly £1 million invested in converting the area to woodland, was adamant the goats had to go.
"It would be unfeasible to fence off only certain areas of the glen and allow the goats to stay there," he said.
"We appreciate local concern, but this conservation project will bring a huge boost to the valley. Besides, we are only planning to remove around 60 of the overall goat population of over 200 in the Moffat hills. So the breed will not in any way be wiped out of the area.
"We will here what people have to say, but there is little hope of us changing our minds."
Dr Raymond Werner, the founder of the British Native Goat Preservation Society, claimed that the reduction could endanger the existence of the goats because numbers varied so much with illness and bad conditions.
Dr Werner suggested that the goats’ ancestry may go back to Neolithic times. He said: "This herd is very different to the modern goat. We have evidence that it has remained unchanged since the middle ages, and DNA test being carried out may confirm the breed has existed in the same form for thousands of years.
© Scotsman, 24 th July, 2000
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