We would like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.
Unless otherwise noted, this publication is distributed under the Open Government License v3.0. To view this license, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the National Archives Information Policy Office, The National Archives, London TW9 4DU, or email psi@nationalarchives. gov. GREAT BRITAIN.
If we discover any third party copyright information, you will need to obtain permission from the respective copyright owner.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/awc-opinion-on-the-welfare-implications-of-using-virtual-fencing-for-livestock/opinion-on-the-welfare . – Use of virtual fencing systems to contain the impact of movement and surveillance of livestock.
The Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) has traditionally provided detailed expert advice to Minister Defra and the governments of Scotland and Wales on the welfare of farm animals in farms, markets, transport and slaughter. In October 2019, the FAWC changed its name to the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC), and its remit was expanded to include domesticated and human-raised wild animals, as well as farm animals. This allows it to provide authoritative advice based on scientific research, stakeholder consultation, field research and experience on broader animal welfare issues.
The AWC was asked to consider using invisible fences without compromising livestock health and welfare. Safety measures and conditions for those who intend to use such fences may be considered, including in conservation management, such as in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, and managed grazing by farmers.
Currently farmed species that can use invisible collared fencing systems are cattle, sheep and goats. Therefore, this opinion is limited to their use in these species. This opinion does not apply to the use of e-collars on any other sport. It also does not cover leg straps, ear tags, or other technologies that may be used as part of a containment system in the future.
Electronic collars can be used as part of a system of invisible fences to control cats and dogs so they don’t run away from home and onto highways or other places. In Wales, it is illegal to use any collar that can cause shock to cats or dogs. A review of the scientific literature commissioned by the Welsh Government concluded that the welfare concerns associated with these species do not justify the balance between benefits to welfare and potential harm. [footnote 1]
Changes in weather patterns caused by climate change affect all farmed species. These include high temperatures, rapid and unpredictable temperature fluctuations, heavy and low rainfall, high winds, and increased sunlight and humidity. These factors will need to be considered when planning future pasture infrastructure. Contingency plans also need to be expanded to protect benefits from extreme weather events such as droughts or floods.
Animals raised outdoors may need better shelter from direct sunlight, wind and rain. On some types of soil, persistent heavy rain can increase the risk of deep mud, which increases the risk of slips and falls, which can lead to illness and injury. If heavy rain is followed by heat, poaching can create hard, uneven ground, further increasing the risk of injury. Shorter planting periods and lower planting densities can mitigate these effects and preserve soil structure. The local microclimate can reduce or exacerbate the effects of climate change. These general welfare aspects related to climate change, which affect different species grown differently, are discussed further in the relevant sections of this Opinion.
Livestock control has long been necessary to manage livestock grazing, prevent land damage, prevent animal injury, and separate animals from people. Most containment measures are carried out on lands that are privately owned or leased by livestock farmers. Livestock on public lands or in hilly and highlands may be subject to less control to prevent their entry into communities, highways, or other potentially hazardous areas.
Livestock on owned or leased land is also increasingly being fenced off to control grazing for soil health and/or environmental management purposes, and to control forage consumption. This may require time limits that may need to be changed easily.
Traditionally, containment requires physical boundaries such as hedges, walls, or fences made from posts and railings. Barbed wire, including barbed wire and fences, makes it easier to create boundaries and make it easier to divide land while remaining relatively constant.
Electric fences were developed and commercialized in the US and New Zealand in the 1930s. Using stationary poles, it now provides effective permanent containment over long distances and over large areas, using far fewer resources than poles and barbed wire. Portable electronic fences have been used to temporarily delimit small areas since the 1990s. Stainless steel wire or stranded aluminum wire is woven into plastic wire or mesh tape and connected at various levels to insulators on plastic poles that are manually driven into the ground and connected to power or battery power. In certain areas, such fences can be quickly transported, mounted, dismantled and moved.
The input power of an electric fence must provide enough energy at the point of contact to produce a valid electrical impulse and shock. Modern electric fences may include electronics to vary the charge transferred along the fence and provide data on fence performance. However, factors such as fence length, wire type, earth return efficiency, surrounding vegetation in contact with the fence, and humidity can all combine to reduce the energy and hence the transmitted toughness. Other variables specific to individual animals include body parts in contact with enclosures, and coat thickness and moisture, depending on breed, sex, age, season, and management practices. The currents that the animals received were short-term, but the stimulator continuously repeated the impulses with a short delay of about a second. If the animal cannot tear itself away from an active electric fence, it may receive repeated electric shocks.
Installing and testing barbed wire requires a lot of material and labor. Installing a fence at the right height and tension takes time, the right skills and equipment.
Containment methods used for livestock may affect wild species. Traditional boundary systems such as hedges and rock walls have been shown to positively impact some wildlife species and biodiversity by creating corridors, refuges and habitats for wildlife. However, barbed wire can block the route, injure or trap wild animals trying to jump over or push past it.
To ensure effective deterrence, it is necessary to maintain physical boundaries that can become dangerous if not properly observed. Animals can become entangled in broken wooden fences, barbed wire, or electric fences. Barbed wire or simple fencing can cause injury if not installed or maintained properly. Barbed wire is not suitable if horses need to be kept in the field at the same time or at different times.
If livestock grazes on flooded low-lying lands, traditional livestock pens can trap them and increase the risk of drowning. Similarly, heavy snowfall and high winds can result in sheep being buried next to walls or fences, unable to get out.
If a fence or electric fence is damaged, one or more animals may escape, exposing them to outside hazards. This can adversely affect the welfare of other animals and have consequences for people and property. Finding escaped livestock can be challenging, especially in areas where there are no other permanent borders.
Over the past decade, there has been increased interest in alternative grazing restraint systems. Where protected grazing is used to restore and maintain priority habitats, the installation of physical fencing may be illegal, economical or impractical. These include public lands and other previously unfenced areas that may have reverted to shrubland, altering their biodiversity values ​​and landscape features and making it difficult for the public to access. These areas can be difficult for breeders to access and regularly locate and monitor stock.
There is also interest in alternative containment systems to improve the management of outdoor dairy, beef and sheep grazing systems. This allows small pastures to be established and moved periodically depending on plant growth, prevailing soil conditions and weather.
In earlier systems, horns and potential electric shocks were triggered when antenna cables dug into or placed on the ground were crossed by animals wearing receiver collars. This technology has been replaced by systems using digital signals. As such, it is no longer available, although it can still be used in some places. Instead, electronic collars are now available that receive global positioning system (GPS) signals and can be attached to livestock as part of a system to monitor pasture position or movement. The collar may emit a series of beeps and possibly vibration signals, followed by a possible electric shock.
A further development in the future is the use of dynamic fence systems to assist or control the movement of livestock on the farm or in the production hall, for example cows from the field to the collection ring in front of the parlour. Users may not be physically near the warehouse, but they can remotely control the system and track activity using images or geolocation signals.
There are currently over 140 users of virtual fences in the UK, mostly for cattle, but usage is expected to increase significantly, AWC has learned. New Zealand, the US and Australia also use commercial systems. Currently, the use of e-collars on sheep and goats in the UK is limited but growing rapidly. More in Norway.
AWC has collected data from manufacturers, users, and academic research regarding four virtual fence systems that are currently being developed worldwide and are in the early stages of commercialization in different regions of the world. He also directly observed the use of virtual fences. Data on the use of these systems in various situations of land use are presented. Various virtual fence systems have common elements, but differ in technology, capabilities and suitability of views.
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in England and Wales and the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, all livestock keepers are required to provide a minimum standard of care and provision for their animals. It is against the law to cause unnecessary suffering to any pet animal and all reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that the needs of animals in the breeder’s care are met.
Farm Animal Welfare Regulations (WoFAR) (England and Wales 2007, Scotland 2010), Annex 1, paragraph 2: Animals kept in animal husbandry systems whose welfare is dependent on constant human care must be carefully checked against at least daily to check if they are in a state of happiness.
WoFAR, Appendix 1, paragraph 17: Where necessary and possible, non-housed animals should be protected from adverse weather, predators and health risks and should have constant access to good drainage in the residential area.
WoFAR, Appendix 1, paragraph 18: All automated or mechanical equipment essential to animal health and welfare must be inspected at least once a day to ensure that there are no defects. Paragraph 19 requires that if a defect is discovered in an automation or equipment of the type described in paragraph 18, it must be repaired immediately or, if it cannot be corrected, appropriate measures must be taken to protect the health and well-being of people. Animals with these deficiencies are subject to correction, including using alternative methods of feeding and watering, as well as methods for ensuring and maintaining satisfactory housing conditions.
WoFAR, Appendix 1, paragraph 25: All animals must have access to a suitable source of water and sufficient fresh drinking water on a daily basis, or be able to meet their fluid needs in other ways.
Livestock Welfare Guidelines: For Cattle and Sheep in England (2003) and Sheep (2000), Cattle and Sheep in Wales (2010), Cattle and Sheep in Scotland (2012) d.) and goats in England (1989) provide Guidance on how to comply with animal welfare statutory requirements in relation to house rules, providing guidance on compliance and including elements of good practice. Livestock keepers, herders and employers are required by law to ensure that all persons responsible for the care of animals are familiar with and have access to the Code.
In accordance with these standards, the use of electric batons on adult cattle should be avoided as much as possible. If a stimulator is used, the animal must always have enough room to move forward. The Cattle, Sheep and Goat Code states that electric fences must be designed, constructed, used and maintained so that animals that come into contact with them experience only minor or temporary discomfort.
In 2010, the Welsh Government banned the use of any collar capable of electrocuting cats or dogs, including border fencing systems. [Footnote 2] The Scottish Government has issued guidance recommending the use of such collars in dogs for the management of aversive stimuli in certain circumstances that may be contrary to the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. [footnote 3]
The Dog (Livestock Protection) Act, 1953 prohibits dogs from disturbing livestock on farmland. “Disturbance” is defined as attacking livestock or harassing livestock in a manner that could reasonably be expected to cause injury or distress to livestock, miscarriage, loss or reduction in production. Section 109 of the Farm Act 1947 defines “agricultural land” as land used as arable land, meadows or pastures, orchards, allotments, nurseries or orchards.
Section 4 of chapter 22 of the Animals Act 1971 (covering England and Wales) and section 1 of the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987 state that owners of cattle, sheep and goats are liable for any injury or damage to the land resulting from proper control. .
Section 155 of the Highways Act 1980 (covering the United Kingdom) and Section 98(1) of the Highways (Scotland) Act 1984 make it an offense to allow livestock to roam outside where a road passes through unprotected land.
Section 49 of the Citizenship Government (Scotland) Act 1982 makes it an offense to tolerate or allow any creature under its control to cause danger or harm to any other person in a public place, or to give that person a reasonable cause for concern or annoyance. .
Collars, neck straps, chains or combinations of chains and straps are fastened around the neck of cows, sheep or goats. One manufacturer has a collar tensile strength for an adult cow of about 180 kgf.
The battery provides power to communicate with the GPS satellites and the storekeeper via the equipment vendor’s servers, as well as to power the horns, electrical pulses, and (if any) the vibrators. In some designs, the device is charged by a solar panel connected to a battery buffer unit. In winter, if livestock mostly grazes under a canopy, or if horns or electronic shocks are frequently activated due to repeated contact with the boundary, a battery change every 4-6 weeks may be necessary, especially in northern UK latitudes. Collars used in the UK are certified to the international IP67 waterproof standard. Any ingress of moisture can reduce charging capacity and performance.
The GPS device operates using a standard chipset (a set of electronic components in an integrated circuit) that communicates with the satellite system. In dense wooded areas, under trees, and in deep canyons, reception can be poor, which means that there can be serious problems with the precise positioning of fence lines installed in these areas. Internal functions are severely limited.
An app on a computer or smartphone records the fence and manages responses, data transfer, sensors, and power.
The speakers in the battery pack or elsewhere on the collar may beeping the animal. As it approaches the boundary, the animal can receive a certain number of sound signals (usually increasing scales or tones with increasing volume) under certain conditions for a given period of time. Other animals within the auditory signal may hear the sound signal.
In one system, a motor located on the inside of the neck strap vibrates to cause the animal to pay attention to chimes designed to guide the animal from one location to another. Motors can be placed on each side of the collar, allowing the animal to sense vibration signals on one side or the other of the neck area to provide targeted stimulation.
Based on one or more beeps and/or vibration signals, if the animal does not respond properly, one or more electrical contacts (acting as both positive and negative) on the inside of the collar or circuit will shock the neck under the collar if the animal crosses the border. Animals can receive one or more electric shocks of a certain intensity and duration. In one system, the user can decrease the impact level. The maximum number of shocks an animal can receive from any activation event in all systems for which the AWC has received evidence. This number varies by system, although it can be high (for example, 20 electric shocks every 10 minutes during virtual fencing training).
To the best of AWC’s knowledge, there are currently no virtual livestock fence systems available that allow people to intentionally shock animals by moving the fence over the animal.
In addition to electric shocks, in principle, other aversive stimuli, such as pressing a probe, heating or spraying, can be used. It is also possible to use positive incentives.
Provides control via smartphone, laptop or similar device. The sensors may transmit data to the server, which is interpreted as providing information related to the benefit (eg, activity or immobility). This may be available or sent to the breeder’s equipment and a central observation site.
In designs where the battery and other equipment are on the top side of the collar, weights can be placed on the bottom side to hold the collar in place. To reduce the energy consumption of livestock, the overall weight of the collar should be as low as possible. The total weight of cow collars from two manufacturers is 1.4 kg, and the total weight of sheep collars from one manufacturer is 0.7 kg. To ethically test proposed livestock research, some UK authorities have recommended that wearable devices such as collars weigh less than 2% of body weight. Commercial collars currently used for virtual fencing systems generally fall within this livestock target category range.
To install the collar and, if necessary, replace the battery, it is necessary to collect and fix the livestock. Appropriate handling facilities must be available to minimize stress to the animals during handling, or a mobile system must be brought to site. Increasing the charging capacity of the batteries reduces the frequency of collecting livestock for battery replacement.