Evaluating an innovative fencing system - 2025 autumn review

Four of Scotland’s Monitor Farms are trialling an innovative virtual fencing system on their hill and upland grazing and are already seeing environmental and cattle management benefits, but some challenges have been identified

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The four Monitor Farms involved - Argyllshire, South Ayrshire, Stirlingshire and Strathspey - have 25 collars apiece from Norwegian specialist Monil and are testing them in their herds to assess the cost-benefit in a two-year project.

The farms have all run cattle at grass this summer and have managed their grazing areas using the collars and the associated app. Initially, they started the project by fitting the solar-powered collars, training their cattle to turn away when they hear the collar's signal for the virtual fence, and then turned their cows out on upland and hill grazing. The virtual fence is set using the app, where the fence, individual animal location and movement, plus any escapees, are seen. The virtual fences can be moved and any breakouts managed remotely via the app, with notifications sent when cattle don't move for a certain period.

EASIER TO FIND THE HEIFERS

On the South Ayrshire Monitor Farm, David Andrew has been busy calving his collar-wearing heifers, who have now moved off the main hill grazing to in-bye land.

“Having the collars means we can find them very easily when it could have taken us hours in the past if we were looking for a missing cow in bracken or on a foggy day with little visibility on the hill, especially if an animal had gone away from the main herd to calve, which often happens. Now it takes us 15 minutes to find and check the cattle, but took us up to an hour before, and I now wonder how we did it before this technology!”