Engineering:Nofence
Nofence is a Norwegian company that makes GPS collars for farm animals (cattle, sheep, and goats) that discourage them from crossing virtual fence boundaries.[1][2]
Oscar Hovde Berntsen has been working on the idea of virtual fencing, as an alternative to fixed electric fencing, since the 1990s.[3] Nofence was incorporated in 2011.[3] In 2016, there was a pilot project in Norway with 850 goats.[3] The Norwegian Food Safety Authority approved the use of Nofence for goats in 2017, then for cattle and sheep in 2020.[3] Nofence were founded in Batnfjordsøra, Norway, and is today based in Molde, Trondheim, and Oslo in Norway, with offices in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and the United States.[3]
The solar-powered collars play an audible tone when the animal reaches the pasture boundary, and if they continue, the collar delivers a small shock, similar to what an animal might receive from a fixed electric fence.[4] Farmers can use a mobile app to change boundaries and monitor the animals throughout the day, and avoid over-grazing.[2] Fenceless grazing is being supported by conservationists and farmers, particularly in sensitive areas or difficult upland areas where physical fencing would be impractical, expensive or inappropriate.[4]
In September 2020, The Times reported that trials were being conducted at six sites in the UK, including Epping Forest in Essex.[1]
In December 2020, Nofence stated that 17,000 collars were in use in Norway.[2]
By January 2025, over 150,000 collars were in use worldwide, and the number of customers had surpassed 8,000.
In May 2025, Nofence featured on the farming documentary show Clarkson's Farm.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Parker, Charlie. "Cows to be penned in by virtual enclosures". https://www.thetimes.com/article/cow-pens-go-virtual-as-farmers-test-electric-collars-c9f7k52cd.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "No boundaries: Livestock farming without fencing". https://www.farminguk.com/news/no-boundaries-livestock-farming-without-fencing_57240.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "About us | Nofence". https://www.nofence.no/en/about-us.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "A moo-ving target: fenceless grazing widens possibilities for cows and wildlife". January 3, 2021. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/03/a-moo-ving-target-fenceless-grazing-widens-possibilities-for-cows-and-wildlife.
- ↑ https://www.farminguk.com/news/virtual-fencing-gains-ground-as-clarkson-s-farm-leads-the-charge_66657.html
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