Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Magazine Subscriptions
    •  
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Podcast
    • Events
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Livestock

    Fencing to go virtual in trials on Scottish hill units

    John SwireBy John SwireMarch 16, 20203 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    The potential of virtual fencing, pitched as the next big technology for livestock and hill farmers in Scotland, is being explored in a practical situation ‘on the ground’ by a farmer-led group set up by SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) with the support of Rural Innovation Support Service (RISS) funding. Virtual fencing, which has been extensively researched by SRUC, is a way of managing herd movement through collars and online software more effectively than with physical fencing.

    The technology involves a combination of GPS collars, cloud computing and online software to control where livestock grazes. A boundary is ‘drawn’ on the farmer’s smartphone and when the animal approaches that boundary the GPS collar gives audio-warning stimuli, followed by a mild electric pulse if the animal continues. It has been trialled principally on cows in New Zealand, Australia and Norway so far but not yet in a large-scale commercial hill herd in the UK.

    Malcolm MacDonald of SAC Consulting, who is co-ordinating the trial group of five Highland and Island hill farmers and crofters, said:  “A lot of research has been undertaken into virtual fencing over the last 20 years, but it has yet to be proved in commercial use. It is in the early stages of adoption in places like New Zealand and Norway and it makes total sense for making extensive hill grazing in Scotland easier to manage. It saves time and labour, can protect environmentally sensitive areas and improves herd management as farmers can monitor their stock from their smartphone or tablet. What we want to discover through the trial group is if it’s a practical, affordable solution for hill farmers and crofters in the UK.”

    Virtual fencing will make it more practical for hill farmers to manage extensive areas and for crofters to manage common grazing. It also offers a less time- and labour-intensive means of virtual paddock-grazing or gathering stock with a slowly moving virtual fence-line. The closest to market are NoFence in Norway and e-shepherd in Australia and New Zealand, with others under development.

    “If there is an appetite for this technology, our farmers as a group – and others interested – will have greater buying power to make it a more affordable solution for their businesses,” said Mr MacDonald.

    The group will initially be trialling collars from late March. If these trials show potential, SAC Consulting will be applying for further funding to support greater research of virtual fencing technology in practical situations.

    The RISS project benefits from the extensive research already undertaken into virtual fencing, including by SRUC over the last 15 years. Dr Tony Waterhouse, consultant to the project and specialising in livestock systems particularly in the uplands, said:

    “This could make a real difference to hard-pressed upland farmers. Having the capability to quickly find their cattle for normal daily checks and to graze cattle where physical fence lines are just not practical have been some of the key priorities for farmers we have spoken to. This is a sophisticated means of managing their stock with the peace of mind of being able to see it all working on their smartphones. Research shows that stock learns the system in 24 hours and is not stressed by it, so overall, from the findings so far, I think the system is also better for animal welfare than wire-based systems.”

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleUK beef could soon be heading to the US
    Next Article Deadline approaching for Hill Ram Scheme
    John Swire

    Read Similar Stories

    Joskin advances its ‘Advantage’ series

    June 27, 2022

    How Agreena can help you get into the carbon market

    June 24, 2022

    Cultivate: the Rural summit returns

    May 31, 2022
    Most Read Stories

    Welsh competitors dominate at the Stihl Timbersports Championships

    July 4, 2022

    Glamping pods pay off for Cumbrian family farm

    July 1, 2022

    20 years of Kuhn’s i-BIO+ baler-wrapper

    July 1, 2022
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2022 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Farm Business
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_191 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo