Australia’s first ‘virtual fence’ for dairy farms launches in Tasmania, but it’s banned in some states

·       In short: New dairy technology allowing farmers to remotely herd cows has become commercially available in Australia after years of waiting — but it is banned in three major states

·       What's next? Dr Megan Verdon says more research is needed on the long-term impacts, but feedback suggests it could improve animal welfare

Each morning when Tasmanian farmer Duncan Macdonald wakes up and heads to the milking shed, his herd of dairy cows is already there and waiting.

It's a far cry from waking up at 3am, rounding them up in a paddock in the dark, and herding them for an hour.

His cows have been trained using "virtual fencing" collars — a new tool widely used already in New Zealand, but yet to take hold in Australia.

What is virtual fencing?

Virtual fencing is a system that uses smart collars to herd and monitor cattle.

Each animal is given an electric collar that emits sound and vibration cues to tell them where to go, and then zaps them if they ignore the cue.

Controlled by a smartphone app, it gives dairy farmers the ability to remotely move their cows to the milking shed, set up temporary paddocks and monitor cow health — all without setting a foot outside.

Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture senior researcher Dr Megan Verdon has been studying virtual fencing since 2016.

She said the race to introduce the technology has been ticking since its initial conception in the 1980s, followed by a further boost in the early 2000s when the CSIRO commissioned research and development in the area.

New Zealand tech startup Halter has become the first company in the country to offer it commercially.

It took its first quiet steps into Australia via Tasmania last year, offering subscriptions starting at $8.50 per month, per cow.

"The response in Tasmania … the excitement and interest from the general market has been great," Halter partnerships manager Steve Crowhurst said.

He said the system was already widely used in New Zealand where, in the last year alone, collars were put on about 100,000 cows.

Farmer takes punt on tech

Yolla farmer Duncan Macdonald was one of the first Tasmanian farmers to give the technology a go.

He managed to wrangle collars onto the last of his 1,300 dairy cows earlier this year and has no plans to return to traditional herding.

"I've always been looking into the different options that we've got to make farming more efficient," the farmer and Nuffield Scholar said.

Mr Macdonald said the technology had made his life easier, allowing him to precisely control the areas his cows fed, spot medical issues early on, and, more importantly, spend an extra hour in bed in the morning.

"No-one has to go out to the paddock in the dark, drive around at 3am, and then spend an hour sitting behind cows on the way to the dairy," he said.

"We schedule it the night before. We turn up, and the cows are there and ready to be milked."

Questions over animal welfare

With rival company Gallagher's beef-focused "eShepherd" system also set for commercial release later this year, it may become more common to see cows running around in high-tech gear.

But not in NSW, Victoria, the ACT and South Australia, where the use of electric shock collars are banned under their various animal welfare acts, all of which predate the technology.

In Victoria and South Australia, electronic collars can only be used for the purpose of scientific research. In NSW, the collars cannot be used at all on livestock.

Dairy Australia's principal scientist John Penry said the main issue was that each state had differing opinions regarding the impacts of the "pulse" delivered by the collars. 

Asked if Dairy Australia would like to see the technology allowed in all states, he said it was viewed "as broadly sensible to have harmonised legislation between the states."

He pointed out the legislation also covered collars and containment systems intended for cats and dogs, a more primitive technology that has existed for more than 50 years.

Halter's Steve Crowhurst said the solar-powered, GPS-enabled equipment now hitting the Australian market was a "far cry" from the brutal dog collars that triggered bans in multiple Australian states.

"It's not there to hurt the cow, it's actually 100 to 200 times less than a standard electric fence on a farm," he said.

"Sound and vibration are the primary cues that we use. There is a low energy pulse that is used for training, and that's how they associate what the sound cue means at the start."

However, the RSPCA said it was "opposed to the use of electronically activated devices that deliver an electric shock to animals, as these are aversive".

It cited a lack of research regarding long term impacts, and said one of its main concerns was the use of electric shocks producing an "acute stress response in animals".

More research needed

Dr Verdon agreed more research was needed but said the early findings were "promising".

"What this technology does, which is really neat, is it gives an audio cue before it will ever give electrical stimulus," Dr Verdon said.

"Research shows that … usually within about three interactions they've learnt that association.

"So they'll reduce the number of electrical stimuli that they'll receive going forward … this is a good thing."

She said she was looking forward to completing research over the coming years, but added that feedback from commercial users suggested the system could improve animal welfare.

"This includes things like not having someone out there in a paddock chasing animals on a bike or with the dog, because that can be a very scary thing for a cow," Dr Verdon said.

The researcher will continue studying the long-term impacts at the TIA research farm in north-west Tasmania.

Source: Meg Powell, ABC Rural 3 August 2023

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