A virtual fence is being developed by CSIRO Food Futures Flagship using satelite technology. The project is focussed on developing an animal-friendly fencing system for cattle that enables the animals to be confined without using fixed fences. At this stage in the development of what is to be a commercial product, the research team has built a prototype system and successfully demonstrated its use on a herd of cattle.

CSIRO's Dr Andrew Fisher said the system worked in a similar way to a conventional electric fence, except the fence was invisible. It is an improvement on existing virtual fencing approaches "The boundaries are drawn entirely by GPS and exist only as a line on a computer. There are no wires or fixed transmitters used at all. Importantly, what we're developing achieves the same result as a conventional fence but without the need for posts and wire."

The system employs electronic collars which emit a sound to warn cattle when they are approaching a virtual boundary line. The collars contain advanced software to identify when a cow is near a fence line and which signals should be emitted. Signal timing and duration are based on the behaviour of the cow, and the animals can learn about the virtual fence in less than an hour, and avoid the fence boundary.