FG1: Fencing

Find out about eligibility and requirements for the fencing item.

From:
Rural Payments Agency and Natural England
Published
2 April 2015
Last updated
3 February 2025 — See all updates
Grant type:
Capital item
Land use:
Air quality, Biodiversity, Grassland, Livestock management and Priority habitats
Show 3 more
Uplands, Water quality, and Woodland
Tiers or standalone items:
Higher Tier, Mid Tier and Standalone capital items
Funding (per unit per year):
Up to £100

This item is part of Capital Grants. You must read the Capital items: guidance for applicants and agreement holders to understand the rules and how to apply.

How much you’ll be paid 

£6.34 per metre (m).

How this item benefits the environment

Controlling livestock protects environmental features and helps to manage habitats.

This item can help you protect, recover and improve biodiversity on your land.

Where you can use this item 

You can use this item either:

  • alongside a habitat management, restoration or creation action or option where you need new fencing to meet the grazing requirements
  • to prevent water pollution caused by farming – you do not need approval from Catchment Sensitive Farming and the parcel does not need to be in a high priority area for water quality
  • to protect environmental features such as newly planted trees, buffer strips and field corners taken out of management, or existing woodland (or as agreed with the Forestry Commission)
  • as part of a Woodland Tree Health grant

You cannot use this item on a site where a fence has received a grant in the last 7 years

Your Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (HEFER) will identify:

  • scheduled monuments
  • registered parks and gardens
  • registered battlefields
  • Selected Heritage Inventory for Natural England (SHINE) sites

You must not use this item on scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens or registered battlefields without written approval from Historic England.

You must not use this item on SHINE sites without written approval from your local authority historic environment adviser.

What you must do to use this item

If using wooden posts, you must:

  • remove all old fencing material before putting up the new fencing
  • use softwood timber that’s fully peeled, coated with wood preservative and pressure treated or treated with an HSE approved industrial wood preservative, so you comply with Use Class 4 that’s defined in BS8417:2014 Preservation of Wood Code of Practice – you can use untreated durable timber as set out in the Forestry Commission guide to forest fencing
  • erect the steel-wire fence to at least 1.05m high when installed
  • use additional strands of galvanised steel wire (plain or barbed)   if you need extra height. Use enough strands to control the livestock – they should be galvanised 4 millimetres (mm) mild plain steel wire or a minimum of 2.5mm high tensile wire   or barbed wire
  • use straining posts at least 2.1m long, at least 125mm by 125mm square or have a 125mm top diameter
  • set the straining posts no more than150m apart if using mild steel or no more than 600m  apart for high tensile wire
  • place a straining post at every change of direction (horizontal or vertical) and at each end of the fence – you must use suitable bracing to achieve stability
  • use struts that are at least 75mm by 75mm square or have at least a 75mm top diameter and are at least 2.1m long – you can use a box strainer with or instead of a strut
  • mortise (cut) struts into the straining post at an angle of no more than 45 degrees – do not secure by a nail alone
  • use intermediate posts that are at least 75mm by 75mm square or have at least a 65mm top diameter and are at least 1.65m long
  • set the intermediate posts 3m or less apart for mild steel and at least 4.5m for high tensile steel – adjust these measurements according to the ground conditions

When using metal fence posts, you must:

  • agree using metal posts with your Natural England or Forestry Commission adviser if installing on land in a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier agreement
  • remove all old fencing material before putting up new fencing
  • erect the steel wire fence to at least 1.05m when installed
  • use strands of galvanised 4mm mild plain steel wire or a minimum of 2.5mm diameter high tensile wire or barbed wire
  • use additional strands of galvanised steel wire if you need extra height
  • use straining posts which are at least 2.4m in length
  • place a straining post at every change of direction (horizontal or vertical) and at each end of the fence – you can use suitable bracing to achieve stability
  • struts should be at least 1.8m long  and attached to posts using a suitable connector
  • use intermediate posts at least 1.65m long

You can install the metal posts according to the manufacturer’s installation recommendation.

You can use any type of metal post, but they must be:

  • suitable for the site
  • durable for 5 years from the start of your agreement

You must not:

  • attach the fence to trees or hedgerows
  • block or restrict access to open access land
  • hard staple the wire to intermediate posts. The wire should be a running fit so it can move, contract and expand in different temperatures.

If you have an existing agreement, you must continue to follow the specifications in that agreement.

Evidence you must keep 

You must keep photographs of the completed work and provide them with your claim.

You must also keep and supply on request:

  • any consents or permissions connected with the work
  • receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
  • photographs of the existing site before work starts

Read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the Agreement holder’s guide: Capital Grants, Higher Tier capital grants and Protection and Infrastructure grants for more information.

Items and supplements you can use with this item

Capital items

You can use this item with these items:

FG15:Water gates

FY6: Restore coppicing in woodland 

Supplements

You can use this item with FG4: Rabbit fencing supplement.

Advice to help you use this item

The following advice may help you to use this item, but you do not have to follow it to get paid. It’s not part of this item’s requirements.   

British standards

Check to make sure the work meets relevant British Standards.

Updates to this page

Published 2 April 2015
Last updated 3 February 2025 + show all updates

  1. General improvement for clarity.

  2. One bullet point has been removed from the 'where this item cannot be used' section and multiple points have been removed and replaced throughout the 'requirements' section.

  3. Removal of text confirming FG1 Fencing availability under Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants (SFI pilot), as the SFI Capital offer is no longer available.

  4. Update to 'Where to use this option' section, 'Capital grants' sub-section to include protection of environmental features.

  5. Included Farm woodland standard in the list of SFI pilot standards for which the item is available.

  6. The Requirements section of this page has been updated

  7. These requirements apply to agreements with a start date from 2023. For any existing live agreements, you must adhere to the specification as outlined in your agreement.

  8. 'Where to use this item' section updated to include detail on SFI pilot standards. 'Requirements' section has been updated.

  9. Updated Where to use this item

  10. 'Air quality' added to Land use.

  11. Added in links to Capital Grants manual as this option is now available for Capital Grants

  12. Page updated to show latest record keeping

  13. Capital item now includes woodland.

  14. Updated for 2017 applications.

  15. Information updated for applications in 2016.

  16. First published.

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