GPS tracking for Dales cows

COWS in the Yorkshire Dales are being fitted with electronic collars so they can be tracked by satellite - to help conserve the National Park.

A herd of 50 Blue Grey and beef Shorthorns on Natural England's Ingleborough National Nature Reserve is being used in a unique experiment that will help landowners and farmers to improve management of the wildlife on their land.

The collars contain a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to give an instant 'fix' on the animals' position at any time and a data logger which will record information so it can be downloaded onto a computer.

And the equipment will even be able to tell if, at any given time, the cow wearing the collar has its head down grazing or whether it is standing still or moving.

The pilot scheme is the latest phase of the Limestone Country Project (LCP) - a joint venture launched in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in 2002 involving the National Park Authority, Natural England, the EU LIFE-nature fund, the National Trust and other partners.

It aims to preserve rare plants and flowers by encouraging farmers to return to mixed livestock grazing using hardy, native cattle breeds. The five-year project has exceeded all its targets and has also managed to save money - earning it a 12-month extension earlier this year.

Paul Evans, who manages the Nature Reserve, said three collars are being used in the experiment on cattle grazing on almost 200 hectares of hill land.

"The cattle are free to roam over pretty large areas so, at any one particular time, we don't always know exactly where they are or what they are doing," he said.

"I think this is one of the first projects of its kind to use GPS collars on livestock - normally they are put on wild animals like polar bears and tigers to track their movements.

The results will be vital in helping us to provide detailed information about animal behaviour and grazing
patterns

Louise Williams - YDNPA

"The idea is to find out where they go and at what times of the day and the year. We can then analyse the vegetation and terrain in those areas - for example grassland, peat bog or scrub.

"That will tell us what they prefer to eat during the different seasons of the year and this will help us to assess their impact on the local ecology.

"This detailed information on animal behaviour will help us develop management techniques to direct the cattle away from certain areas and into others.

"We are hoping to expand the project to other upland areas of the Yorkshire Dales over the next couple of years to give hill farmers the information they need to manage those areas successfully in the future."

Louise Williams, the YDNPA's Limestone Country Project Officer, said: "Having the one-year extension has enabled us to carry out this essential work.

"The results will be vital in helping us to provide detailed information about animal behaviour and grazing patterns - both of which are important for the future of livestock farming in these upland areas."