Virtual fencing involving the application of audio cues and electrical stimuli is being commercially developed for cattle. Virtual fencing has the potential to improve productivity through optimized pasture management and utilization by grazing animals. The application of virtual fencing initiates public concern for the potential welfare impacts on animals due the aversive nature of using an electrical stimulus. It is therefore important to provide welfare assurance of the impacts of virtual fencing on livestock. In this paper, we provide an overview of the welfare assessment and validation stages for virtual fencing which could be applied to other new technologies utilizing novel systems. An understanding of stress measures and their suitability for use in specific contexts is discussed, including the use of glucocorticoids to measure both acute and chronic stress, and behavioral responses and patterns to indicate welfare states. The importance of individual differences in relation to learning and cognition are also highlighted. Together, this multi-disciplinary approach to welfare assessment provides a tool kit that may be applied for welfare assurance of some new technologies and systems for farm animals.

涉及应用音频提示和电刺激的虚拟击剑正在为牛进行商业开发。虚拟围栏有可能通过优化牧场管理和放牧动物的利用来提高生产力。由于使用电刺激的厌恶性质，虚拟击剑的应用引发了公众对动物福利潜在影响的担忧。因此，为虚拟围栏对牲畜的影响提供福利保障非常重要。在本文中，我们概述了虚拟击剑的福利评估和验证阶段，该阶段可应用于利用新颖系统的其他新技术。讨论了对压力测量及其在特定情况下的适用性的理解，包括使用糖皮质激素来测量急性和慢性压力，以及表明福利状态的行为反应和模式。还强调了个体差异在学习和认知方面的重要性。总之，这种多学科的福利评估方法提供了一个工具包，可用于农场动物的一些新技术和系统的福利保障。