Susanna Freymark
Cattle and dairy farmers have a new AgTech option to manage their livestock after the State Government legalised virtual stock fencing.
Virtual fencing has been illegal in Victoria and NSW and also in Denmark and Sweden after concerns for animal welfare — it is about to becomes legal in those countries.
Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty announced that the technology would be regulated for use in NSW enabling farmers to better manage their stock and to side-step the cost of hard fencing.
The State Government agreed to virtual fencing after discussions with farmers, and after considering the recommendations of the Legislative Assembly CommitteeInquiry into the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Virtual Stock Fencing) Bill 2024.
Virtual fencing is an AgTech solution to managing cattle without the need for physical fencing within a farm’s boundaries. Instead, collars or neck bands that use GPS technology deliver sensory cues to influence the movement of livestock.
The technology can also monitor the activity, health and welfare of cattle, and can reduce the stress of the animals that can arise from herding with quad bikes and dogs.
The enabling of this technology has the potential to improve the efficiency of rotational grazing systems and reduce the need for the costly establishment and maintenance of internal fences.
The regulation adopts the NSW Guide to Animal Welfare for Virtual Fencing of Cattle that provides safeguards for animal welfare in the design and operation of virtual fencing.
The safeguards include:
- The user must be trained in how to use the device by the supplier or manufacturer.
- The user must ensure devices are regularly monitored and animal welfare standards are met.
- Devices will allow users to control the boundaries that trigger cues to the animal, but users cannot deliver cues directly to an animal.
- Devices must use vibrational or audio cues first, before using electric cues.
- The technology can only be used for cattle.
- The technology has built-in features which can temporarily disable the device based on animal behaviour, location, system connectivity or as a safeguard. It also alerts the user to any animal welfare issues and determines if user intervention is required.
NSW Farmers’ President Xavier Martin said virtual fencing had changed the game for cattle producers not just in other parts of Australia, but around the globe.
“With farmers needing to produce more food and fibre than ever before, it’s vital we jump on board with innovative technologies like this, so we can feed the future,” Mr Martin said.