Conservation Grazing at Lower Woods

For the grazing livestock to be managed effectively, some physical fencing is being used along stretches of the southern boundary to keep cattle within the grazing compartment and prevent them from accessing neighbouring land. The fencing has been restricted to the perimeter of the reserve in order to maintain the open feel to the landscape. There is still historic fencing within the woodland that would have prevented grazing animals from reaching livestock that came into the wood off the common.  

New gates have been installed along the main access routes/tracks into the southern end of Lower Woods, so that people are not impeded from accessing the landscape from multiple locations. All gates have been fitted with self-closing mechanisms and pedestrian/equestrian friendly latches to make it as easy as possible for passage. 

We are aware that incidences can and do happen between livestock and the general public and take care to put processes in place to mitigate against such occurrences so far as is reasonably possible. Before animals go on to a site, we conduct a site risk assessment specific to the grazing animals. If a risk is flagged as being too high, we will either take action to manage the risk or make a decision not to proceed with the grazing in that instance. We also produce emergency action plans, which detail the processes should an incident on the site happen so that all relevant parties are prepared and informed. 

Whilst we want the public to continue to visit and enjoy the sites when grazing animals our present, we need to manage the risk accordingly. At the offset we will put up signage at all access points on to the site to notify people that grazing animals are present, and to inform them of the do’s and don’ts whilst they are there. This includes discouraging feeding, which is often the main issue surrounding problems between livestock and people. 

It is important to make the public aware that the animals are not pets, but that they are semi-domesticated grazing animals which are suited to the habitats and grazing that they are occupying. 

The stocking densities of livestock on the sites will be low and in most circumstances the livestock will move away from the public areas if disturbed.

A herd of Hereford cattle (6 cows and 6 calves) will be used for conservation grazing within Lower Woods. The breed preferentially grazes coarse vegetation and browses a range of trees and shrubs. Docile and easy to handle, yet adventurous, adaptable and surefooted, the Hereford is widely used in conservation grazing. 

The cattle will come from a neighbouring farm, where the cattle are already accustomed to grazing in woodland on native vegetation that wouldn’t be palatable to more modern commercially farmed livestock. Native breeds of livestock will browse the emerging scrub, keeping it supressed and thereby helping to maintain open habitat and structural diversity.  

The aim of conservation grazing is to provide the ideal conditions for wildlife and the environment for the benefit of the target habitat. This will be achieved through low stocking densities and closely monitoring the impact the cattle are having on vegetation and ground conditions. With the Nofence collars we have the ability to exclude them from certain areas or push them towards part of the site that may be under grazed. 

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Land Management Office for Lower Woods will be responsible for the day to day management and welfare standards of the stock that are used on the reserve, in addition to ensuring all relevant legislation is adhered to by keeping records up to date. The Trust will provide thorough training to a group of volunteer stock checkers, so that the highest welfare standards are always upheld.

The duration that stock are present on site will vary depending upon the season and the habitat management requirement. The impact of the stock on the site will be monitored regularly and the management team will encourage the stock to move into under-grazed areas or remove them if grazing pressure is too high, or if ground conditions have become too wet.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust  will be using a virtual fencing system as part of the conservation grazing project, to assist in enhancing species and structure diversity within Lower Woods. The system we will be using has been developed and supplied by the Norwegian company Nofence Grazing Technology. 

Virtual fencing combines wearable Global Positioning Systems (GPS) collars, cloud computing and online software to remotely control the movement of grazing animals across a designated area. This system has multiple benefits, allowing animals to be tracked in real time and providing data which will inform reserve management operations. 

GWT already successfully use GPS collars on our Highland cattle in the Forest of Dean, and Nofence collars are tried and tested by other conservation grazing projects in the UK. 

Virtual grazing paddocks can be created by using an app on a smart phone or tablet, as the cattle approach the boundaries of the designated grazing area an audible beep will be emitted from the collar, warning them that they are approaching the boundary limits. 

Once they have learnt the meaning of the beep they should turn away from the boundary and the warning will stop. If they continue towards the boundary the collar will emit an electric pulse akin to standard electric fencing already being widely used by livestock managers in the UK. 

If the animal passes the boundary, the pulse will stop and an alert will automatically be sent to the grazing officers handheld device, informing them that an animal has moved out of the grazing perimeter. 

Whilst the long-term ambition will be to reduce the need for physical fence lines, initially, there will be a requirement to maintain a hard boundary, ensuring welfare for the both the animals and the public, whilst also complying with animal movement legislation. The virtual fencing trials will be carried out inside the hard boundary, allowing us to experiment and test the system to ensure its robustness. 

The new technology will allow more effective management of grazing pressure across the nature reserve, for e.g. if ground nesting birds are known to be in an area of the reserve, the grazing animals can be excluded from accessing this area until any birds have fledged. Rather than having to install time consuming and costly temporary physical fencing, the boundaries of the grazing compartment will be set remotely and can be easily changed at any time. 

The technology will also improve animal welfare. Whilst robust systems are already in place, the Nofence system will provide 24 hour information on where the animals are. If one becomes isolated from the rest of the herd, this will quickly become apparent through its GPS location, and an immediate investigation regarding the welfare of the animal can be organised. 

The system will also reduce staff time spent looking for the livestock whilst carrying out daily checks. Unlike a conventional agricultural system, conservation grazing sites can be large, with many hiding places for animals to take advantage of. A quick glance at the GPS location as the stock checker approaches the site will quickly tell them where the animals are, reducing the time spent on site significantly. 

The data collected by the software will allow us to carry out a long-term monitoring programme, detailing the effectiveness of the grazing animals and their benefit to the site and the species we are managing the reserve for. The software produces heat maps showing the concentration of the grazing animals, and this can be overlain by other data sources to ascertain any relationship between the grazing pressure and presence/absence of species wildlife species we would expect to find in the habitat. We can also follow up with other surveys, for e.g. vegetation surveys determining plant structure and the impact grazing is having. 

The GPS collars that have been developed have been extensively tested since 2012 in Norway by Nofence Grazing Technology. The company is one of the market leaders and were chosen as our supplier because for their proven track record of providing other conservation grazing projects being delivered by conservation bodies in the UK. 

The collars themselves are designed to pull off if they become snagged in vegetation and their weight is kept to a minimum so that they are not burden to the animal. The electric shock which the collar emits is similar to that delivered by widely used standard electric fence units, lasting for less than a second and only producing a shock after it has already omitted several audible warnings. As part of the trial, cattle will be introduced to the system in a methodical way, first testing their suitability. 

GWT employs independent veterinary practices to carry out regular animal health checks on all of its livestock, and also produces animal health plans which highlight checks and measures against any risk factor to the grazing animals’ welfare. We will be working closely with our veterinary partners to monitor for any welfare issues associated with the virtual fencing as part of the trial period and will prepare to review the technology if animals show any lasting signs of distress. 

Scientific research papers carried out on virtual fencing animal welfare has shown that animals are exposed to similar stress levels as they would be when being run through a handling system. This is so long as there is a good degree of predictability for the animal. This predictability can be achieved through ensuring the correct processes are followed when introducing the animals to the system, that they are closely monitored, and that any animals which are demonstrating levels of stress are removed from the trial. 

At the beginning of the trial, the virtual fencing will not be turned on and no physical deterrent can be administered. The cattle will be fitted with the collars purely to see how they react to them and to assess if there are any issues which arise as a result. Only once satisfied that the collars themselves do not cause any issues will the training to the virtual pastures commence. The cattle will be monitored at all stages by both staff and trained volunteers stock checkers.