01 / 08
For the animal
Minimally invasive training
Animals learn to respond to sound, not pain. A mild pulse is delivered only if several audio cues are ignored. Most cattle adapt within two to seven interactions.
Virtual Fencing · Animal Welfare
Animal welfare is the design brief.
eShepherd replaces wire and posts with a learned, audio-first cue. Developed with CSIRO. Reviewed by an Animal Ethics Committee. CE certified. Built for a calmer day for cattle and the people who keep them.
Built on four principles
01
Animal-led
Cattle learn the boundary themselves.
02
Science-backed
20+ years of CSIRO welfare research.
03
Ethically governed
Animal Ethics Committee oversight.
04
Field-tested
Years of commercial deployment.
The training loop
Animals learn to respond to sound,
not pain.
As an animal nears the boundary, the neckband plays an audio cue. Most cattle turn back before the cue ever finishes. A mild pulse follows only if the audio is ignored, and most animals stop needing it after a handful of interactions.
Audio cue
Pulse
Audio first. A sound cue gives the animal time to choose. Most cattle turn back here.
Pulse, rarely. Brief and low-energy. Most cattle adapt within a handful of interactions and live by audio alone.
How eShepherd supports welfare
Eight ways the design works in the animal's favour.
Eight pillars
02 / 08
For the animal
Lower injury risk
Physical fences cause injuries through entanglement and escape attempts. A virtual boundary removes the wire, and removes the wound.
03 / 08
For the animal
Reduced handling stress
No daily mustering, no fence-walking. Fewer human-animal interactions mean calmer cattle and less cortisol in the herd.
04 / 08
For the animal
Real-time health monitoring
Each solar-powered neckband tracks movement continuously. Unusual inactivity triggers an alert, surfacing health issues earlier than a daily walk-through ever could.
05 / 08
For the land & herd
Supports natural behaviours
Adaptive and rotational grazing become trivial. Cattle move to fresh pasture more often, improving nutrition and reducing parasite load.
06 / 08
For the land & herd
Designed for comfort
Light relative to body weight, ergonomic, and weather-resistant. Built to be worn for the seven-to-ten-year life of the device without rubbing or chafing.
07 / 08
For the land & herd
Protects sensitive land
Exclude livestock from waterways, native bush, and erosion-prone gullies without putting up a single post. Protects ecosystems and keeps animals out of hazards.
08 / 08
For the land & herd
Ethical oversight, by default
Every protocol is reviewed by the eShepherd Animal Ethics Committee. Welfare observations adjust how the system is used in the field.
Science-driven, farm-tested
Virtual fencing, when implemented with paired audio and electrical cues, is associated with rapid learning and minimal sustained welfare impact in cattle.
– Synthesis of CSIRO welfare studies on virtual fencing
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia
eShepherd's commercial deployment by Gallagher builds on this foundation, translating decades of behavioural research into a system that is scientifically sound and practically viable on a working farm.
Ethical oversight
Reviewed by an Animal Ethics Committee, not a marketing team.
The development and deployment of eShepherd are overseen by an Animal Ethics Committee constituted under Gallagher's Animal Welfare policy. The Committee covers all testing and field use of the system, and is responsible for ensuring continued compliance with strict welfare standards.
eShepherd™ Animal Ethics Committee, Terms of Reference →- i.Ensuring the electrical stimulus delivered by the device is mild, brief, and safe.
- ii.Monitoring animal responses during the initial training period and thereafter.
- iii.Adjusting protocols based on welfare observations gathered in the field.
Certified
Certified for safety
Built to meet European safety,
health, and environmental standards.
CE certification is your assurance that eShepherd is built for quality, safety, and trust, independently verified, not self-declared.
Safe for animals
Designed and tested to avoid harm at every stage of use.
Safe for humans
Equipment can be handled and maintained with confidence.
Reliable in the field
Performs consistently and safely in real farm conditions.
Internationally trusted
Certified for global markets and regulated environments.
Aligning welfare with farm performance
A better way forward
for cattle, country, and the people who care for both.
eShepherd is not just new. It's a more humane way to manage grazing, and it's already on the ground.