Inspired by his own first-hand experience, an entrepreneurial Isle of Wight farmer has launched a new service that could both improve animal welfare and also save the farming industry millions of pounds a year.
Livestock Lookout, developed by Tim Rogers of 250-acre Palmers Farm at Wootton, enables the public to report livestock welfare issues through a simple text service which privately alerts farmers to issues they need to attend and resolve.
UK rollout
Already supported by the IW NFU branch following a successful trial on the Island, Tim is now looking to roll the service out across the UK.
He believes the project connects the farming community with lovers of the great outdoors in a common goal of working together to ensure the countryside is a safer place for all who use it – whether animals or humans.
Livestock Lookout
The service assists farmers by providing early alerts to all manner of issues requiring a quick response including dog attacks on livestock – which the NFU Mutual estimates cost farmers in the region of £1.3m in 2020 and the extent of which has recently been highlighted by a shocking survey by the National Sheep Association.
Livestock Lookout can also help tackle other problems including escaped cattle, livestock theft, damage caused by straying animals and issues with gates and fencing.
The timing is right
With 140,000 miles of rights of way in England and Wales and with the vast majority of farms containing some form of footpath, bridleway or byway, passers-by can help provide a useful lookout.
And with more people spending more time in the countryside as a result of changing habits in a post-Covid world, Tim believes his new service is becoming available at just the right time.
Rogers: A plentiful source of eyes and ears for farmers
From his 250-acre home at Palmers Farm in Wootton nestled in the shadow of Queen Victoria’s former home at Osborne House, Tim said,
“Increased use of the countryside presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
“It is a challenge because some people will not be familiar with the countryside code, but also an opportunity as they also present a useful and plentiful source of eyes and ears for the farmer.”
How it works
The Livestock Lookout concept works by giving farmers 24/7 year-round support to keep an eye on their land and livestock through highly visible signage and intelligent technology.
It enables the passing public to alert farmers to any issue using a simple phone text system which is published on dedicated signage with a unique location number.
Early warning system
Reports to the number are relayed, via a central exchange directory to the subscribing farmer. In a genuine emergency a call can be generated to the farmer for even faster results.
While providing an early alert, the system also means the farmer’s identity remains anonymous as there is no interaction directly with the person making the report.
Tim said,
“The idea began to take shape earlier this year when a cow escaped from land we had leased to a farmer. The first we knew of it was via a post my wife Danielle came across on Facebook. By then it had become quite a serious incident. The cow had knocked someone over – thankfully they were not hurt too badly – and had damaged a car.
“After that we put up a sign giving our contact number in case there were any future problems. But all that did was generate unwanted phone calls from people wanting to use our land for anything from metal detecting and camping to motocross.
“It was clear we needed a more effective early warning system that also kept our own personal details anonymous – and that is exactly what Livestock Lookout does.”
Legge: Extra peace of mind
Matt Legge of MJL Farming works various sites on the Island totalling 300 acres and he welcomes the extra peace of mind that Livestock Lookout brings.
He said,
“Though we visit all the sites every day, an incident can arise at any moment so having this additional way of reporting incidents to us is really useful.
“We have a particular issue at the moment with ravens who can attack a sheep within 20 minutes of it turning onto its back so a quick response to incidents like that is essential.
“We are really pleased that Livestock Lookout is providing another way that issues can quickly be brought to our attention.”
Munt: Innovative and positive way of interacting
Robyn Munt, Chair of the Isle of Wight branch of the NFU said,
“We are very happy to support our member, Tim, with this innovative and positive way of interacting with and utilising the increased numbers of people enjoying the British Countryside.”
Russell: The eyes and ears of the countryside
Stephen Russell, Policy and advocacy officer for the Ramblers said,
“Walkers can play a vital role as the eyes and ears of the countryside. However, it can be very hard for them to know who to turn to to report incidents of concern they come across.
“This service has the potential to bring together the farming community, for whom the countryside is a working environment, and the public, who are keen to get outdoors and connect with nature, to protect and improve rural green spaces for everyone.”
News shared by Gavin, in his own words, Ed
