Bjørn Tore Søfting, a sheep farmer in Skallelv, Vadsø, uses electronic bells on his animals when they go to summer pasture. According to NRK Troms og Finnmark, Søfting described the bells as providing exact knowledge of where the animals are at all times and whether they have been taken by predators. He follows the sheep via his mobile phone and gets rapid alerts if an animal has been still for too long.
Radio tagging animals is expensive; Søfting has spent about 200,000 kroner on electronic bells, plus system usage costs. According to NRK Troms og Finnmark, he described the high cost as a barrier that has prevented many from using the technology. Finnmark Bondelag proposes that electronic tagging become part of the agricultural agreement. The Ministry of Agriculture presents its offer for the agricultural settlement today, Friday. Farmers in Finnmark are waiting to see if the state will finance electronic tagging.
A united agricultural sector supports the proposal from Finnmark Bondelag, according to Trond Bjørkås, predator responsible in Norges Bondelag. Norges Bondelag has submitted a demand for 9 million kroner for digitalization of grazing areas in this year's settlement. Bjørkås calls the 9 million kroner a start and says Northern Norway will be a pilot area. According to NRK Troms og Finnmark, Bjørkås described the goal of digitalization as counteracting the declining number of farmers in the north and reducing conflicts with predators. Bjørkås expects the agricultural settlement to provide funds for electronic tagging of grazing animals.