Latest news with #MartinSmart
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Cows given ‘virtual fence' collars to stop them falling in river
Cows have been given special collars which use virtual fence technology to stop them falling into a river. Livestock that graze on commons in central Cambridge have been given GPS collars which create a virtual boundary. The technology is solar-powered and controlled by an app, and the cattle are trained to turn around when they hear an audio warning. The warning sound starts at a low pitch and gradually gets higher as the animal moves through the boundary zone, with a mild electric pulse delivered if the whole scale has been played. Animals then learn to recognise the warning sound and turn around to avoid the electric pulse. Cambridge city council said an average of two to four cows fall into the River Cam during a grazing season. Last year, a farmer voiced fears that the centuries-old tradition of cows on the city's commons could be under threat if a council budget for out-of-hours rescue was cut. But the authority has given reassurance that it will 'continue to fund grazing' and has 'improved animal welfare with a technology that keeps the cows from falling into the river'. Cattle back on the commons Martin Smart, executive councillor for open space and city services for Cambridge city council, said: 'The council recognises the symbolic importance of the cows grazing on the commons. 'This is a special and unique feature of the city that is much loved by residents and visitors alike. 'Last year, the council carried out a public consultation on a range of options to make savings to ensure the council's financial sustainability. 'The consultation included proposed changes to a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week rescue service for cows, as between two to four cows fall into the river during the grazing season. 'In response to residents confirming their support for cows grazing on the commons, the council committed to continue to fund grazing and improved animal welfare with a technology that keeps the cows from falling into the river.' Cattle were back on Cambridge's commons this week. In a statement on its website in November, after reports that the tradition of grazing could be under threat, the city council said it had 'no plans to stop grazing'. It said the authority funds a '24-hour pinder service to recover cattle, mostly after falling in the river'. 'This service, which costs around £10,000 of the annual budget, deals with two to four incidents annually, but often the fire and rescue service assist,' the statement said. 'To help design out the problem and costs, the council has introduced a geo (virtual) fence system that keeps cattle away from the river bank, off the footpaths and within defined grazing areas. 'It enables the graziers to check the whereabouts of their livestock via a mobile phone app.' Cambridge's famous urban cattle graze the commons from around April to October, in a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cows given ‘virtual fence' collars to stop them falling in river
Cows have been given special collars which use virtual fence technology to stop them falling into a river. Livestock that graze on commons in central Cambridge have been given GPS collars which create a virtual boundary. The technology is solar-powered and controlled by an app, and the cattle are trained to turn around when they hear an audio warning. The warning sound starts at a low pitch and gradually gets higher as the animal moves through the boundary zone, with a mild electric pulse delivered if the whole scale has been played. Animals then learn to recognise the warning sound and turn around to avoid the electric pulse. Cambridge city council said an average of two to four cows fall into the River Cam during a grazing season. Last year, a farmer voiced fears that the centuries-old tradition of cows on the city's commons could be under threat if a council budget for out-of-hours rescue was cut. But the authority has given reassurance that it will 'continue to fund grazing' and has 'improved animal welfare with a technology that keeps the cows from falling into the river'. Martin Smart, executive councillor for open space and city services for Cambridge city council, said: 'The council recognises the symbolic importance of the cows grazing on the commons. 'This is a special and unique feature of the city that is much loved by residents and visitors alike. 'Last year, the council carried out a public consultation on a range of options to make savings to ensure the council's financial sustainability. 'The consultation included proposed changes to a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week rescue service for cows, as between two to four cows fall into the river during the grazing season. 'In response to residents confirming their support for cows grazing on the commons, the council committed to continue to fund grazing and improved animal welfare with a technology that keeps the cows from falling into the river.' Cattle were back on Cambridge's commons this week. In a statement on its website in November, after reports that the tradition of grazing could be under threat, the city council said it had 'no plans to stop grazing'. It said the authority funds a '24-hour pinder service to recover cattle, mostly after falling in the river'. 'This service, which costs around £10,000 of the annual budget, deals with two to four incidents annually, but often the fire and rescue service assist,' the statement said. 'To help design out the problem and costs, the council has introduced a geo (virtual) fence system that keeps cattle away from the river bank, off the footpaths and within defined grazing areas. 'It enables the graziers to check the whereabouts of their livestock via a mobile phone app.' Cambridge's famous urban cattle graze the commons from around April to October, in a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cambridge cows get GPS collars to stop them falling in river
Cows have been fitted with GPS collars to try to stop them falling into a City Council said up to four ended up in the River Cam during grazing season between April and October each GPS devices emit a high-pitched sound as the animal moves through a boundary zone towards the water, with a mild electric pulse delivered if it fails to turn council spends about £10,000 a year funding a team to recover cattle from the river, and said the new technology would help with costs. Cows can be seen roaming on council-owned green spaces such as Midsummer and Stourbridge commons, Coe Fen, Lammas Land and Sheep's Green.A team of animal rescuers employed by the council, known as pinders, are deployed if an animal gets into difficulty, such as getting stuck in the River year, Cambridge City Council carried out a consultation on whether to pass the cost of the out-of-hours animal rescue service on to graziers. However, the authority has given reassurance - after public support for cows grazing on the commons - that it will "continue to fund grazing" and has "improved animal welfare with a technology that keeps the cows from falling into the river".Martin Smart, executive councillor for open space and city services, said: "The council recognises the symbolic importance of the cows grazing on the commons."This is a special and unique feature of the city that is much loved by residents and visitors alike." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
New tool created to help stop clumsy cows from falling into river
Cows that graze on on green space in central Cambridge have been given special GPS collars which stop them from falling in the river. The collars use virtual fence technology to stop the animals from tumbling into the river. The collars are controlled by solar-powered GPS and an app, the manufacturers have said. A virtual boundary can be set using the app, and the cattle are trained to turn around when they hear an audio warning. The warning sound starts at a low pitch and gradually gets higher as the animal moves through the boundary zone, with a mild electric pulse delivered if the whole scale has been played. Animals then learn to recognise the warning sound and turn around to avoid the electric pulse, the firm said. Cambridge City Council said an average of two to four cows fall into the river during a grazing season. Last year, a farmer voiced fears that the centuries-old tradition of cows on the city's commons could be under threat if a council budget for out-of-hours rescue was cut. But the authority has given reassurance that it will 'continue to fund grazing' and has 'improved animal welfare with a technology that keeps the cows from falling into the river'. Martin Smart, executive councillor for open space and city services for Cambridge City Council, said: 'The council recognises the symbolic importance of the cows grazing on the commons. 'This is a special and unique feature of the city that is much loved by residents and visitors alike. 'Last year, the council carried out a public consultation on a range of options to make savings to ensure the council's financial sustainability. 'The consultation included proposed changes to a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week rescue service for cows as between two to four cows fall into the river during the grazing season. 'In response to residents confirming their support for cows grazing on the commons, the council committed to continue to fund grazing and improved animal welfare with a technology that keeps the cows from falling into the river.' Cattle were back on Cambridge's commons this week. In a statement on its website in November, after reports that the tradition of grazing could be under threat, the city council said it had 'no plans to stop grazing'. It said the authority funds a '24-hour pinder service to recover cattle, mostly after falling in the river'. 'This service, which costs around £10,000 of the annual budget, deals with two to four incidents annually, but often the fire and rescue service assist,' the statement said. 'To help design out the problem and costs, the council has introduced a geo (virtual) fence system that keeps cattle away from the river bank, off the footpaths and within defined grazing areas. 'It enables the graziers to check the whereabouts of their livestock via a mobile phone app.' Cambridge's famous urban cattle graze the commons from around April to October, in a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Cambridge cows get GPS collars to stop them from falling into river
Cows that graze on commons in central Cambridge have been given special GPS collars which stop them from falling in the river by using virtual fence technology. A firm that makes geofencing for livestock said animals are controlled by solar-powered GPS collars and an app. A virtual boundary can be set using the app, and the cattle are trained to turn around when they hear an audio warning. The warning sound starts at a low pitch and gradually gets higher as the animal moves through the boundary zone, with a mild electric pulse delivered if the whole scale has been played. Animals then learn to recognise the warning sound and turn around to avoid the electric pulse, the firm said. Cambridge City Council said an average of two to four cows fall into the river during a grazing season. Last year, a farmer voiced fears that the centuries-old tradition of cows on the city's commons could be under threat if a council budget for out-of-hours rescue was cut. But the authority has given reassurance that it will 'continue to fund grazing' and has 'improved animal welfare with a technology that keeps the cows from falling into the river'. Martin Smart, executive councillor for open space and city services for Cambridge City Council, said: 'The council recognises the symbolic importance of the cows grazing on the commons. 'This is a special and unique feature of the city that is much loved by residents and visitors alike. 'Last year, the council carried out a public consultation on a range of options to make savings to ensure the council's financial sustainability. 'The consultation included proposed changes to a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week rescue service for cows as between two to four cows fall into the river during the grazing season. 'In response to residents confirming their support for cows grazing on the commons, the council committed to continue to fund grazing and improved animal welfare with a technology that keeps the cows from falling into the river.' Cattle were back on Cambridge's commons this week. In a statement on its website in November, after reports that the tradition of grazing could be under threat, the city council said it had 'no plans to stop grazing'. It said the authority funds a '24-hour pinder service to recover cattle, mostly after falling in the river'. 'This service, which costs around £10,000 of the annual budget, deals with two to four incidents annually, but often the fire and rescue service assist,' the statement said. 'To help design out the problem and costs, the council has introduced a geo (virtual) fence system that keeps cattle away from the river bank, off the footpaths and within defined grazing areas. 'It enables the graziers to check the whereabouts of their livestock via a mobile phone app.' Cambridge's famous urban cattle graze the commons from around April to October, in a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages.
