BN13: Top wiring - stone wall

Find out about eligibility and requirements for the top wiring - stone wall 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: Boundaries, 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 

£5.54 per metre (m). The payment rate is for the total length of boundary under the item, not for each side of the boundary.

How this item benefits the environment

Restoring the stone wall with top wiring helps to control livestock and conserve a traditional landscape.

Where you can use this item 

You can use this item where you have management control of both sides of the boundary either:

• on walls being rebuilt with BN12: Stone wall restoration or BN16: Stone wall repair to keep stock out of new woodland planting or other land management actions or options
• with Sustainable Farming Incentive action BND1: Maintain dry stone walls
• as part of a Woodland Tree Health grant

What you must do to use this item

You must:

• use round timber posts with a top diameter of at least 75 millimetres (mm)
• set the posts no more than 3m apart for mild steel wire or 10m apart for high-tensile wire
• use posts long enough to fix the top wire no higher than 30 centimetres (cm) above the top of the wall
• use timber that is fully peeled and tanalised or treated with an appropriate preservative
• knock the posts into the ground and either set them leaning against the wall or set them alternately on opposite sides of the wall
• secure the posts
• staple either half height sheep netting or 2 lines of steel wire (plain or barbed) that are at least 20cm apart to the upright posts
• make sure the wire is properly strained and fastened with galvanised staples

For wiring use either:

• mild steel with a minimum diameter of 4mm
• high tensile steel line wire with a minimum diameter of 3.15mm
• 2.5mm mild steel two ply barbed wire
• 2mm high tensile two-ply barbed wire.

Evidence you must keep 

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

You must also keep and provide on request:

• any consents or permissions connected with the work
• receipted invoices or bank statements where a receipted invoice is unavailable
• photographs of the lengths of wall you plan to top-wire 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.

Other capital items and supplements you can use with this item

You can use this item with these supplements:

BN14: Stone wall supplement - stone from quarry

BN15: Stone wall supplement - difficult sites

FG15:Water gates

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

1. 3 February 2025

   Amended item: you can use this item for maintenance and restoration.

2. 6 November 2023

   Removal of text confirming BN13 Top wiring - stone wall availability under Countryside Stewardship Capital Grants (SFI pilot), as the SFI Capital offer is no longer available.

3. 1 February 2022

   'Where to use this item' section updated to include detail on SFI pilot Farm woodland standard.

4. 9 March 2021

   Updated Where to use this item and how much will be paid.

5. 5 February 2020

   Page updated to show latest record keeping requirements

6. 14 September 2017

   Capital item now includes woodland

7. 29 March 2016

   Information updated for applications in 2016.

8. 2 April 2015

   First published.