NSW Member for Parliament for Orange Phil Donato and Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty at the announcement.
The state’s cattle and dairy farmers have a new AgTech option to manage their livestock with the NSW Government delivering on its promise to legalise virtual stock fencing this year so that farmers can reduce costs and take advantage of new data on the welfare of their herds.
The Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, last week announced the technology would be regulated for use in NSW, enabling the state’s farmers to better manage their stock and to side-step the cost of hard fencing.
Virtual fencing is an AgTech solution to managing cattle without the need for physical fencing within a farm’s boundaries. Instead, collars or neck bands that use GPS technology deliver sensory cues to influence the movement of livestock.The technology can also monitor the activity, health and welfare of cattle, and can reduce the stress of the animals that can arise from herding with quad bikes and dogs.
NSW Member for Parliament for Orange Phil Donato said: “This technology has already proven its value across Australia and the world, and it’s time our farmers had equal access to the tools that improve productivity and animal welfare. Virtual fencing means less time repairing boundary lines and more time focusing on herd health, pasture management and the day-to-day realities of running a modern cattle operation.”