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Night vision and agriculture/viticulture: monitoring your farm and protecting your livestock at night

Nighttime remains a blind spot for most French farms and vineyards. Yet, this is precisely when the vast majority of predator attacks on herds, crop thefts, and intrusions onto the property occur. Faced with these risks, an increasing number of livestock farmers, winegrowers, and farm managers are equipping themselves with a tool long reserved for military and professional use: the light-intensifying night-vision monocular. Here is why—and how to choose the right equipment.

Why night-time monitoring is becoming a key issue in agriculture

Several factors have been converging over the past few years, prompting operators to rethink their night-time surveillance strategies:

• The return of predation. The recolonization of French territory by wolves, combined with the constant pressure exerted by foxes on poultry and young livestock, is forcing many farmers to step up their nighttime vigilance, in addition to standard protective measures (fencing, livestock guardian dogs).
• Wild boar damage. Whether in crops or vineyards during the ripening stage, nocturnal incursions by wild boars can destroy a plot in a single night.
• Theft of crops and equipment. Thefts of grapes during the harvest, fruit from orchards, or agricultural equipment stored outdoors occur predominantly at night, often in isolated areas lacking street lighting.
• Video surveillance has its limits. Fixed thermal or infrared cameras cover a specific point (or field of view), but an operator who needs to move across several hectares, patrol a fence line, or check a herd in a distant pasture requires a mobile tool—one that can be carried on their person or held in hand.

Night vision or thermal camera: what is the difference for agricultural use?

The two technologies address different needs and are often complementary rather than competing.

A thermal camera detects the heat emitted by an animal or a person, even through light foliage or in total darkness. It excels at long-range detection—such as spotting a predator at the edge of a plot.

A light-intensifying night-vision device (the technology used in monoculars like the LNVM) amplifies ambient light—from the moon, stars, or distant glows—to produce a detailed, recognizable image of the scene. It is the ideal tool for moving safely around your property, accurately identifying animals or silhouettes, and conducting effective surveillance without the need for artificial lighting (unlike a flashlight, which reveals your presence from hundreds of meters away and scares off the very wildlife you are trying to observe).

For an operator who needs to walk to an enclosure, check a fence, or accompany a herd by moonlight, a lightweight monocular often remains more practical and affordable than a fixed thermal camera.

Livestock protection: a concrete field application

For the livestock farmer, the value of the night-vision monocular comes into play at several key moments:

• A night patrol conducted before or during a high-risk period (such as lambing/calving, reported predator presence in the area, or a neighborhood alert). A lightweight monocular allows for a quick check of the herd without disturbing the animals or exposing oneself unnecessarily.
• Monitoring isolated enclosures far from any lighting, where installing video surveillance infrastructure represents an investment disproportionate to the actual risk.
• Support from a protection dog or rapid response in the event of an alert, where mobility and discretion take precedence over the wide coverage provided by a fixed camera.

The advantage of an instrument like the LNVM lies in its ease of use: a single button, a battery life of several dozen hours on a standard AA battery, and a manageable weight that allows it to be kept in a pocket or on a helmet mount without causing discomfort during a multi-hour shift.

Viticulture: securing the estate during the harvest and the rest of the year

The grape harvest season presents a specific risk: ripe clusters in isolated vineyard plots, often located outside any monitored area. Every year, estates across most French wine-growing regions fall victim to nighttime grape theft, whether sporadic or organized.

Outside of the harvest season, a wine estate remains exposed all year round to:

• intrusion and vandalism affecting the crop rows and installations (drip irrigation systems, sheds, equipment);
• damage caused by game (wild boar, roe deer) to young shoots or during the veraison period;
• the passage of unauthorized vehicles on isolated service roads.

An estate manager or gamekeeper can thus conduct a discreet patrol across several hectares, identify a suspicious presence from a distance, and intervene or raise the alarm with full situational awareness—without a flashlight giving away their position, and without relying on a network of fixed cameras that never covers the entire estate.

What type of device should be chosen for agricultural or viticultural use?

Unlike in tactical or military applications, a farmer generally does not need a complex articulated binocular system. The criteria that really matter are:

1. Lightness and ease of use—a single-button monocular that can be operated with one hand and kept in a jacket pocket while on patrol.
2. Battery life—a night-time shift can last several hours; a standard AA battery, available everywhere, is a real advantage over proprietary batteries.
3. Weatherproofing and ruggedness—withstanding rain, mud, and vineyard dust: the device must be able to handle the conditions of day-to-day operations without requiring special care.
4. The quality of the image intensifier tube determines the ability to recognize an animal or a silhouette on a moonless night—the most common scenario in agricultural use. A high-quality NNVT tube makes a real difference here compared to entry-level digital devices, where image quality degrades significantly in very low light.

That is precisely the positioning of the LNVM: a monocular designed to be carried and used without hassle—an accessible, professional-grade entry point for agricultural or viticultural use, without the costs or complexity of a full military system.

What the regulations say

The purchase and handheld use of a light-intensifying night-vision device are unrestricted in France.

In summary

Faced with rising predation, nighttime theft during the harvest season, and the practical limitations of fixed video surveillance, handheld night-vision equipment is becoming a sensible choice for many farms and vineyards. The priority is not to opt for the most sophisticated gear, but rather for a device that is lightweight, reliable, and easy to use—and capable of performing reliably over several hours of duty.