Calling all farmers tired of going back and forth
Any brand of electric fence can be turned on and off from the field with a call from any mobile phone, using the GSM electric fence controller which won the inaugural innovation award at last Saturday’s National Dairy Show in Millstreet.
It is made by Suirway Automation, based at Clonoulty, Cashel, Co Tipperary. Philip Quirke of Suirway says it can be adapted for turning on and off mains water to the farm or sludge pumps or lighting; opening and closing domestic and farm gates; controlling heating; among other uses.
“Any fence, any phone, any network, simple ideas work,” says Philip.
There are no installation or set-up costs, or phone bills (the call isn’t answered). The user plugs in the GSM unit (which is fitted with a Sim card), and plugs an electric fence into the GSM unit.
Philip says he was fitting an automated gate on a farm when the farmer called him from the fields and asked him to switch on an off the electric fence in the yard; that was where he got the idea. The device costs €180 plus Vat.
