P.PSH.1306 Virtual Fencing in the WA Rangelands Final Report

Summary

Virtual Fencing Technology (VFT) uses wireless technologies, sensors and signal prompts to control the location and the movement of livestock without using fixed, physical fences. The control occurs by altering an animal’s behaviour through one or more sensory cues administered to the animal after it has attempted to penetrate an electronically generated boundary.

This project was a three-stage experimentation with the overarching aim to investigate if rangeland cattle in the north of Western Australia can be contained by VFT. The first experiment involved 40 animals (20 control and 20 fitted with GPS collars) and lasted one month, where the effect on animal behaviour and stress was assessed. The aim of the second experiment was then to progress the concept further and examine the effects in a scaled-up experiment (100 animals fitted with GPS collars), under rangeland conditions and testing efficacy of VFT without visible physical fences present. The third experiment was with a mixed mob of 269 cattle fitted with GPS collars and managed using VF. The study lasted three months, during which time cattle had been successfully ‘moved’ across different large trial paddocks (LTP) by periodically redrawing the VF. The aim of this experiment was to test the efficacy of VFT in a commercial setting and with a large, mixed mob over a longer period of time. The second aim was to rule out any condition effect after the VF had been disabled and confirm that cattle are free to move across the previously drawn VF boundary.

Overall, in all three experiments cattle learned quickly (within days) to respond to audio and electric signals and then consistently stay within the VF drawn boundary, except in some small events. In Experiment 2, the cattle ran through VF when a helicopter was run over the mob; while in Experiment 3 only a few steers and two cows went through the VF to access a water point that they had previously used. Once the VF was disabled for one paddock, cattle also learned quickly that VF was no longer in place and freely moved across the previously drawn VF boundary to access other parts of the paddock within a day. There were only a few technical issues noted with collars. Overall, the methodology worked well in a large mixed herd, up to three months, over different landscapes and pastures, in a commercial setting. In all three experiments, there was no significant impact on animal performance, health, or wellbeing when CattleRider collars were fitted, or Audio stimulation/Electronic stimulation (AS/ES) protocols were applied. The Western Australia (WA) Government has been informed of the outcomes of this project towards changing the legislation. To date, no decisions have been made concerning legislative change. The findings were also regularly communicated to pastoralists at various rangeland pastoral meetings, as well as the steering committee.

Objectives

This project forms the basis for the development of robust grazing management practices that improve livestock productivity, deliver a more consistent supply of animals, and improve rangeland health through:
(1) Demonstration of the efficacy of VFT at large scale that would be applicable to WA northern rangelands for better monitoring and management of cattle.
(2) Integrate the communications and reporting of outcomes to WA Government, MLA, industry groups, pastoralists and stakeholders, in collaboration with the MLA Communications team.
(3) Develop and scope the broader additional co-funded involvment and partner activities across the broader BeefLinks Program in consultation with MLA Project Lead, MLA Adoption Manager and the UWA Project Team.

Key findings

Cattle became conditioned to AS/ES stimuli to remain within the boundary of VF and this commonly occurred in all cows within few days of commencing delivery of Vence AS/ES protocol. They were successfully trained and contained to stay within the virtually-drawn boundary for up to three months, but there were some occasions when cattle breached the VF. There were no effects on overall health, productivity, behaviour and stress, and only some limited adverse effects, associated with wearing CattleRider collars and delivering Vence AS/ES protocol when implemented on mobs of rangeland cattle in WA's north.

Benefits to industry

The benefits to industry are:
1. The research demonstrated that cattle in northern WA rangelands could be successfully contained in large paddocks at a rate of 94 to 100%. This level of confidence that animals can be contained is important for the pastoralist industry to manage feed on offer, reduce animal impacts on landscape (for example reduced landscape degradation) and animals being excluded from major infrastructure (roads, rail etc.).
2. There was a very low impact on cattle welfare noted. Occasionally, cattle collars may have come loose or detached but these incidences were low <2% of all collars. No adverse biomarker incidence were noted.
3. Pastoralists are interested in the technology and accelerated adoption is feasible. Pastoralists note that the technology is relatively easy to deploy and use.

Future research

The virtual fencing technology is mature commercially and has been demonstrated to be of significant use to livestock producers.
The key areas of future research are the ability of the technology to be deployed in rangeland conditions where line of sight is compromised. Some technology-based solutions have to be modified if line of sight signals are compromised by topography. The majority of work conducted in this project is representative of northern rangeland conditions (flat terrain).
Future research may focus on use of the technologies in fragile environments (areas prone to landscape degradation (fragile soils), areas of sensitive native vegetation, and areas that need to be excluded (e.g. under carbon sequestration management).