History of Barbed Wire

When US ranchers first started slicing up the prairies with the newly invented barbed wire in the late 1800s, there were widespread howls of protests. Opinion writers condemned the ‘devil's rope' which restricted the freedom of roaming animals, injured and killed animals, closed off the traditional hunting grounds of Native Americans, and restricted the access of other graziers to water holes. In what is known as the Texas fence-cutting wars, gangs armed with wire cutters, and working anonymously under names such as ‘Blue Devils' and ‘The Land League', would remove by night what had been erected by day. There were debates in parliaments about whether such fences should be allowed.

Since then barbed wire fences have become the norm—almost everywhere. In Australia barbed wire is ubiquitous—part of the typical image of the outback, but also common in urban areas.

Photos taken in Austria by Jenny Maclean

The most enlightened legislation for the use of barbed wire can be found in Norway. Under Section 29 of the Norwegian Animal Welfare Act:
Fences shall be so made and maintained that the risk of grazing animals harming themselves is as slight as possible. Fence remains shall be removed. If the person(s) responsible for the fence do not remove the remains of the fence within a deadline set by the animal welfare committee, the committee shall ensure that this is done. The person(s) responsible for the fence shall bear the costs.
The use, for fences in outlying pastures, of barbed wire unattached to other fencing material which is easy to see, is forbidden. The King may set a deadline for the removal of other barbed wire fencing which existed when this Act entered into force.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the second paragraph, the local (commune) council may, by a decision endorsed by the Ministry, prohibit the use of barbed wire for fencing. Such a ban may apply to the whole or parts of the commune, applying to outlying areas and/or between outlying and home pastures.