FG1: Fencing

This item is part of Capital Grants 2025. You must read the Capital Grants 2025 guidance to understand the rules and how to apply.

If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, you must read the CSHT applicant’s guide 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.

If you’re applying for this item as part of a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) application, you must read the record keeping and site visit requirements in the CSHT agreement holder’s guide.

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.