British Saanen dairy goats (n = 10) were treated with bromocriptine or vehicle from day 147 of pregnancy to day 4 post partum, a treatment duration of 8-8+1-7 d (mean + SEM). The periparturient prolactin surge was abolished by this treatment, but there were no significant effects on plasma growth hormone or insulin concentrations. Lactogenesis was delayed in the bromocriptine-treated goats, milk yields being significantly depressed (P < 0-01) for the first week of lactation. Yields had recovered to control values by day 10 when prolactin concentrations were still significantly depressed. Mammary gland biopsies were taken on day 4 post partum from five animals in each group. Using this tissue, no significant differences could be shown in mammary morphology or DNA synthesis, but the RNA:DNA ratio was significantly reduced (P < 0-05). After week 1, there were no significant differences between bromocriptine-treated and control goats in milk yield, milk composition, udder volume, time of peak yield or persistence. The goats given short-term bromocriptine treatment at parturition showed prolonged effects on prolactin secretion, their seasonal prolactin rise being severely blunted (P < 0-001). A normal lactation is therefore not prevented in goats by a delay in lactogenesis, suppression of prolactin at parturition or the resulting prolonged depression of circulating prolactin. Goats in established lactation given bromocriptine for 8 d showed, by contrast, a rapid recovery of plasma prolactin concentrations within 5 d post treatment. Milk yield declined significantly (P < 0-03) compared with pretreatment values during and for 1 week after bromocriptine but then began to recover, with no significant change in vehicle-treated goats. Davis et al. (1983) reported that goats treated with the dopamine agonist bromocriptine (5 mg daily from 4 d before to 4 d after parturition) showed a delay in lactogenesis, but that over 21 weeks post partum their total milk yield was 32% greater than in the previous year. Control goats showed no change in yield. An effect of this magnitude was of great interest, comparable to the increase in milk yield achieved by giving regular injections of bovine growth hormone (somatotropin, BST) to lactating ruminants (Bauman et al. 1985;Hart, 1988). Previous work in dairy cows and sheep given bromocriptine to suppress the periparturient surge in circulating prolactin concentrations had similarly indicated a delay in lactogenesis, Present address: SmithKline Beeoham Pharmaceuticals, Welwyn Garden City AL7 1EY, UK.