Jeff Bourman of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party of Victoria and Member for the Eastern Region, has called for a pilot project for the reintroduction of grazing cattle to the High Country.

Cattle were banned from grazing in Victoria’s High Country, firstly in 2005, then a trial to reintroduce them to the high country was ceased in 2015.

Cattle had grazed the high country for nearly 170 years.

Mr Bourman said that the introduction of new technology with virtual fencing and fitting cattle with GPS technology and collars to keep them in designated areas provides an opportunity to revisit High Country cattle grazing.

“The Mountain Cattlemen’s Association has been looking after the high country for more than 150 years and they know the area like the back of their hand,” he said.

“Their cattle assisted in management of the region’s bushfire fuel load for decades and enhanced Victorian primary production outputs.”

“New GPS-enabled technology would permit graziers to target specific areas of the high country for grazing. Grazing could again be utilised for areas where overgrowth and weeds have outpaced Parks Victoria’s management capabilities. Environmentally sensitive areas would be excluded thereby protecting flora and fauna without the need for a physical fence.”

Mr Bourman added “Cattle were banned due to environment concerns which were hotly debated at the time. The new GPS technology will allow areas of concern to be protected while reducing fuel loads and allowing beef farmer’s additional areas to graze livestock.”

Virtual fencing has now been approved for use in Victoria and is proving to be a useful farm management tool.

“It’s now time to explore if we can make use of this technology to better manage public lands,” Mr Bourman said. “It’s time the government moved with the times and works with the MCAV to conduct a pilot for the reintroduction of grazing cattle to the High Country now the technology exists to protect the environment.

This article appeared in Corryong Courier, 26 June 2025.