IN OUR increasingly digital world, much thought is now being put into what hi-tech whizz-bangery might be applied to livestock farming to help it turn an extra bob or two.

One idea, now undergoing serious real-world trials, is the replacement of traditional wire and wood fencing with 'digital pens', whereby the animal to be confined wears an electronic collar uplinked to a GPS, and if it strays across a virtual line of the farmers' choosing, it gets a little electronic nudge telling it to turn around.

Notwithstanding that such devices might be far better employed keeping errant husbands out of pubs, or away from expensive ring-sides, The Raider must ask the question that arises with all such technology – what happens when the battery goes flat? However pricey Rylock gets, it will always have the advantage of still being there whether or not you've charged it recently...