Nofence virtual fencing and how it works for cattle

Nofence is the world's first virtual fencing system for grazing animals. Cattle wear a solar-powered GPS collar that communicates with a mobile phone app.  Virtual field boundaries are created on the app.  The virtual or fenceless field boundaries can be changed at any time and to be any size, making the system very flexible. 

Animal movements are tracked in real-time, with notifications on animal movements sent to a mobile phone. Creating and customising the boundaries of pastures within the app allows us to graze the land more effectively. We can easily target or exclude areas to help conserve biodiversity and keep animals safe.  This saves time and money by not building and maintaining physical fences.

Virtual fencing is used widely across the UK and Europe on both traditional farms and on nature reserves.  At Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve the council have been using the Nofence system since 2020, particularly at Warren Glen where its use has transformed the habitats and landscape of the glen.

Where will livestock be grazing?

Cattle graze throughout the reserve at different times of the year.  Most of the time the cattle and ponies are grazing within existing fenced farm fields, such as the ex-arable fields and the fields around Ecclesbourne meadow. 

The Nofence system allows us to graze wilder areas like Warren Glen and the Firehills where habitat restoration is a priority.

Grazing the Firehills

The Firehills is the most significant area of clifftop lowland heath habitat at the nature reserve and is one of the rarest habitats in the UK. The council's Countryside Stewardship agreement requires the Firehills to be grazed with small numbers of cattle in the autumn/winter/spring.

There is no sustainable alternative to grazing with cattle to restore the threatened heathland habitats of the Firehills. If the Firehills are not grazed, this rare and threatened habitat will be lost forever.