Ban Virtual Fencing Shock Control Collars for Dairy Cows
 

How it works
 

Collars are attached around cows’ neck and have solar panels on each side for power and speakers close to each ear to deliver audio messages to steer, move or stop the cow. There are electrical probes on the inside of the collar which can deliver a pulse or shock if the audio messages are not responded to correctly.

They use GPS like a cell phone to determine the location, orientation and activity of each cow. This information is sent to a base receiver using a digital radio frequency signal and is accessed using a cell phone application.

Farmers can see the location of each cow on a virtual map in real time. They can schedule the cows to be pulled out of the paddock and walk into the dairy shed. Virtual paddocks can be created for any number of cows to be enclosed in. Groups of cows can be walked out of the paddock on command. Cows can be prompted to keep walking rather than loitering or grazing.

Cows can be held in a virtual break and kept away from fresh feed using sound, vibration and electric shock pulses. The controls must be strong enough to overcome the cows instinctive drive to find food. Controls to separate cows from the herd must overcome the cow’s instinct for the safety of the herd.

Unintended Consequences
 

1.       Cow loving, care giving, empathetic workers are driven away by their perception of the cow’s loss of freedom, dignity, and ability to exhibit instinctive behaviours.

2.       Technocrat, control loving workers with poor stockmanship skills, who objectify cows are attracted to the industry.

3.       The cost of the collars is far greater than the value of labour saved by not having to move cows or set up fences manually.

4.       Grass growth and utilization is not changed by using collars

5.       The relationship between cows and human caregivers is broken

6.       Cows no longer exhibit instinctive behaviour as defined by the animal welfare act.

7.       Cows respond less to direct human interaction.

8.       Standards of cow care and animal welfare plummet.

9.       Farmers lose their sovereignty to technology companies.

10.   The public perceive cows as being robotized and use terms like cowborg or cowbot.

11.   Technology malfunctions or is hacked causing distress or disaster.

12.   Technology is used to control humans in captivity

13.   Farmers become objects of public ridicule for being inhumane control freaks.

14.   All milk becomes tainted with the “Yuk” factor in the consumers’ minds.

15.   International markets reject milk from shock collared cows.

Author

Tim Rhodes

Dairy Farmer

Golden Bay