Virtual fencing and herding technology welcomed
LEONGATHA South dairy farmer and Dairy Farmers Victoria (DFV) Board member Ben Vagg welcomes the news that virtual fencing and herding technology has the go-ahead from the State Government, expected to be operational on farms from February.
The technology works by fitting livestock with solar-powered smart collars that use audio, vibration, and electric pulses to contain or guide animals to desired areas, with farmers setting parameters through a mobile phone app.
While Mr Vagg won’t be adopting the technology at this stage on his farm as he has recently established a robotic dairy, he and the DFV see lots of positives for dairy farmers in virtual fencing and virtual herding. Those positives include a reduction in labour and better pasture monitoring and utilisation, not having to put up strip fencing being one of the major time savings.
“It helps you allocate and ‘back-fence’,” Mr Vagg said, elaborating that “If you’ve got a big paddock and the girls graze the front really hard, it holds the cows off those areas.”
Back-fencing refers to setting up a temporary fence behind cows as they graze a new section of paddock, preventing overgrazing.
Reduced wear and tear on quad bikes is another key benefit highlighted, with Mr Vagg noting the fact that better quality quad bikes are difficult to source and expensive.
The use of the virtual technology locally for fencing off creeks and significant waterways may benefit some farmers he believes.
“Dairy Farmers Victoria has been closely talking with Agriculture Victoria,” Mr Vagg said of DFV’s advocacy efforts in relation to virtual fencing and herding initiatives.
He considers it generally takes three to five years for the full benefits of new farming technologies to become apparent as farmers figure out how to use the technology most effectively and overcome challenges that arise.
In the short term, cows will also have to adapt.
Mr Vagg’s robotic dairy setup uses three grazing allocations to drive the cows around and said the use of virtual fencing and herding technology in a robotic dairy set up is a work in progress, posing the question, “How do we adapt it to our voluntary milking systems?”
“I know that Halter are looking for brave robotic farmers but I’m not that brave just yet,” Mr Vagg said, Halter being one of the manufacturers of virtual fencing and herding technology.
The RSPCA has previously raised animal welfare issues about the technology.
“The use of electric shocks to train an animal raises significant ethical and animal welfare concerns,” the organisation stated, providing the theoretical example of an animal unable to learn quickly, or at all, to associate sound cues with an impending electric pulse.
However, the Victorian Government is adamant it has considered animal welfare issues, stating its new regulations under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 ensure farmers can adopt smarter tools to manage livestock, while keeping animal welfare a top priority.
Farmers will be required to use approved technologies, complete manufacturer training, maintain a physical boundary fence or barrier, and ensure collars are checked regularly.
