Project details
Status: Current
Lead:
Dr Megan Verdon, TIA Senior Research Fellow
Team:
- Associate Professor Richard Rawnsley
- Oliver Radford, TIA Technical Officer
- Sophie Bandura, TIA Technical Officer
Funding:
This page lists multiple virtual fencing research projects that have been led by Dr Megan Verdon at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture. Funding bodies include:
Virtual fencing research
Virtual fencing is transforming the way livestock are managed, offering producers new opportunities to improve grazing management, animal welfare and farm productivity while reducing the need for conventional fencing.
At the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), Dr Megan Verdon leads research investigating how virtual fencing technology can be applied across a range of farming systems. An animal welfare scientist, Dr Verdon has been conducting research on virtual fencing technology since 2016. Her studies are the most comprehensive conducted into pastoral dairy cows and virtual fencing and have been used to inform policy around Australia.
Working closely with producers, industry and research partners, Dr Verdon's research explores how virtual fencing can support more flexible grazing management, improve pasture utilisation and protect environmentally sensitive areas, while ensuring high standards of animal welfare. This work is helping build the evidence needed for producers to confidently adopt virtual fencing technology on Australian farms.
This page brings together TIA's virtual fencing research projects and resources in one place. Whether you're a producer considering virtual fencing, an industry stakeholder, researcher or student, you'll find the latest information on our work below.
Related projects
Resources
Dr Megan Verdon presented on maximising the potential of southern beef through the use of virtual fencing.
Dr Megan Verdon shared an update on virtual fencing research.
Virtual fencing research update from Dr Megan Verdon.
Please be aware that some research papers may not be freely accessible.
- The behavioral response of dairy cows to different shock energies delivered during virtual fencing training (2026)
- The welfare of dairy cows managed with Halter virtual fencing and herding technology compared with those managed with electric fencing and stockperson herding (2026)
- The effectiveness of a virtual fencing technology to allocate pasture and herd cows to the milking shed (2004)