Farmer's Christmas trees plea to feed goats

Lagatha the goat enjoying the taste of Christmas trees

A Cornish dairy farm has asked people to donate their real Christmas trees so its goats can eat them.

Polmarkyn Dairy owner Glyn Thomas said the trees were in addition to the their usual winter diet of hay, fodder beetroot, carrots and and sprouts.

Mr Thomas said the goat cheese farm, near Liskeard, was aiming to receive 200 donated trees this year.

He said the trees make a tasty treat for farm's herd of about 120 goats.

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"They seem to like it, so why not?" he said.

"Basically they strip all the bark off, all the needles, and [after they've finished eating] there's not much left bar the stump."

Mr Thomas's partner Katie Wood said the animals "love a tree".

"They can have as many as they like, so they are in heaven," she said.

"It is something else in their diet and this time of the year they're not out eating the grass.

"They do go out when it's dry, but it's not dry very often.

"[The trees] are a bit of a bonus.

"It works, we've been doing it for years."