NEWS
A moo-ving target : fenceless grazing widens possibilities for cows and wildlife
T here is something missing from the
bucolic upland scene of shaggy , bracken-coloured cattle grazing between young trees on the Cumbrian hillside : fencing .
When the Highland-cross cows reach a certain point , the blue plastic medallion dangling from their necks plays a melody like a mobile phone ringtone . The cow turns around , and the invisible GPS fence has done its job .
Fenceless grazing is being hailed as revolutionary by conservationists and farmers , particularly in beautiful , sensitive or rough upland landscapes that are impractical , expensive or undesirable to fence .
GPS collars that alert cows when they reach a boundary are helping to improve habitats and boost biodiversity
Patrick Barkham
Current Address : The Guardian Reprinted From : http :// bit . ly / 3kQKwgS
The technology is being embraced by rewilders who want cows to mimic the grazing of extinct wild herbivores such as aurochs and move through wider landscapes in a natural way , ensuring their grazing creates mosaics of habitat and boosts rare flora .
“ This is a gamechanger for us ,” said Charlie Burrell , of the rewilded Knepp estate , which is keen to embrace the technology . “ If we can restrict or move grazing animals through the landscape without fences or wolves , it ’ s just bloody brilliant . We can use animals as tools to encourage biodiversity and we simply use an app to draw a line around sensitive areas where we don ’ t want the animals to spend any time .”
In Cumbria , 19 cows on the RSPB reserve of Geltsdale have successfully trialled the £ 300-per-collar technology as part of a North Pennines AONB Partnership project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund .
David Morris , of the RSPB , said : “ The
Figure 1 : The cows at Knepp are not yet trained to use the Nofence collars , but owner Charles Burrell is keen to get them signed up ( Photograph : Anthony Cullen / The Guardian ).
habitat change we ’ ve seen has been absolutely fantastic . The cows have got into the coarse vegetation areas and broken it up , diversifying and improving the habitat . The technology has allowed us to do that in a really smart and sustainable way .”
The cows have been fenced away from springs so they won ’ t pollute the watercourse , and they can even be fenced away from individual wildflowers such as orchids or ground-nesting birds if required .
Emma Wright , of the North Pennines AONB , said that since the RSPB ’ s successful trial at Geltsdale , other Cumbrian landowners were keen to use the technology as hill-farmers looked for more wildlife-friendly alternatives to intensive sheep-grazing .
“ These collars allow us to get larger animals such as cows that create a perfect variety of sward into this really difficult upland terrain , and help manage grassland and wood-edges for really picky species such as ring ouzel and black grouse ,” said Wright . “ Fences in the uplands can also be a problem for species such as black grouse , which die when they collide with them .”
The technology has also been used in Wanstead Park and Epping Forest , for
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