Most people who keep horses and livestock on their land will have put up and electric fence at some time.

An electric fence works by attaching an energiser, powered by mains or batteries, to a run of wire attached to poles across a field.

The energiser is also attached to an earth stake. When the animal touches the fence and the ground he completes the circuit and the current passes though him to the ground, giving him a shock.

It’s harmless but warns him to stay away from the fence.

Very often an old car battery is used to power the energiser, which is not always the best option.

A purpose-designed leisure battery is better as it is designed to give a steady output over time, while a car battery will dwindle quite quickly.

And what about all those used batteries left lying around in the countryside? Improperly disposed batteries contribute to water and air pollution.

As batteries corrode, their chemicals soak into soil and contaminate groundwater and surface water.

Even worse, in a recent case in Oldham, batteries and an electric fence energiser, believed to have been stolen from a local farm, were attached to the railings surrounding a children’s playground and would have given anyone who touched the fence an electric shock.

Food and Farming page has been testing out a more environmentally- friendly alternative.

The Hotline Shrike Solar Energiser Kit for Electric Fencing is ideal for anyone with horses or small runs of fencing, up to 800m.

It can hang from the fence or sit on an earth stake and the solar panel just clips onto the top of it. We found it very easy to instal. The key is to position it so that the solar panel is in the best position in the field to receive the maximum sunlight and it will run the energiser during sunlight hours.

When there is not enough sun, two small D-cell batteries, which fit neatly inside the energiser, kick in.

We installed it on a fence run of around 250 metres on a sunny day and found it was giving a good pulse of current almost immediately.

So far, it has also kept the horse in its place.

The Hotline Shrike Solar Energiser Kit, which includes the energiser, which carries a three-year warranty; solar panel; earth stake, and leads is available from Sadler Agricultural Services, and costs £115.50.

Price wise, this stacks up pretty well against a traditional battery powered energiser plus the cost of a 12v leisure battery. Plus, it’s a neat solution that’s better for the environment. Highly recommended.