Managing sheep flock with GPS sheepdogs
The idea of managing a flock of sheep using GPS (global positioning system) and being able to control their movements at a distance certainly seemed far-fetched to many farmers attending the recent RASE precision farming event in Penrith. However, Mark Rutter of Harper Adams University told them virtual shepherding would have an important role to play in the future.
While the practicalities of applying precision technology to the way sheep are currently managed in the UK clearly needs to be studied in greater detail if the theory can be effectively applied, Mr Rutter was convinced of the benefits of virtual shepherding.
He believed sheep could be fitted with devices or given a bolus that would enable farmers to assess variances in their body temperature and that management decisions could be made at a distance.
Mr Rutter told farmers this technology would enable flocks to be grazed more effectively and that animals fitted with vibrating collars could even be moved “without the need to have dogs chasing around”.
“The health and welfare benefits of this technology are already being looked at in Australia,” said Mr Rutter. “But none of this is intended to replace stockmanship or veterinary treatment; it’s an additional management tool to help farmers.
“Precision technology will have a big impact on livestock farming so we can improve the efficiency of production as well as animal welfare. It’s about supporting existing stockmanship and not replacing it.”