Fencing and the law

Fencing land, whether for security, stock management or to keep wild animals out, can be a bone of contention. What is good for stock management may pose danger to wildlife; what keeps trespassers off crops or reduces the number of desire lines across a field, might hinder access to public footways, putting you at odds with the general public.

At Dodd and Co, we work with both private landowners and the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, so we are able to understand the many problems and issues that fencing can cause. And, having understood the problem, we are well-positioned to help you find a solution.

This article outlines some of the guidelines for fencing as issued by another wildlife trust – the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, but much of what is written is applicable here in West Norfolk.

Risks to wildlife are posed mainly by barbed wire fencing with animals such as deer jumping the fence but getting caught on the top strand. Another risk might come from erecting a wire fence across a path used regularly for travel by wildlife, including birds in flight.

The risk to the public comes mainly from people climbing fences or sustaining cuts from barbed wire. The public may come into contact with fencing when a fence runs alongside a narrow path or a footpath crosses a field boundary.

To reduce these risks, you might consider some of the following actions when fencing a field. 

• Use fencing material other than barbed wire where there is an element of risk of injury. 
• Don’t use a top wire of barb, buy put a plain wire on plastic runners so the wire can be electrified when stock is in the field.
• Don’t use barbed wire near public footpaths or known wildlife runs – don’t use barbed wire within one metre of a stile or kissing gate. And use barbed wire only on the edges where the public don’t or shouldn’t go.
• Where existing barbed wire goes right to a gate, cover the barbs for a section either side of the gate.
• Create alternative routes for wildlife e.g leave internal gates open where the site isn’t grazed.
• Make fencing visible to prevent accidental contact.
• Use high tension wire to prevent entanglement. loose wire will tangle round legs.

There are however some difficulties that arise from these measures that you should be aware of.

• If badgers are a problem, leaving gates open will allow the animals to wander onto your land.
• Leaving gates open can also offer temptation to thieves and fly-tippers.
• Using electric fencing can be expensive and there is increased staff time in setting up and maintenance.

So, as can be seen, there is no way to specify what action to take on a generalised basis. Each case needs to be taken as an individual issue and a bespoke solution provided. Through identifying the problems and your own situation, we will work with you to arrive at a fencing solution that meets both your requirements, public and wildlife safety and all within your budgetary constraints. 

Badger netting

TB, two letters sure to strike fear into the heart of cattle owners everywhere. Anyone over the age of 20 can still remember the dreadful scenes of burning animal carcases in the 1990s and TB is still a huge problem in pockets of grazing land across the UK. TB can wipe out a herd and ruin a farm, so it is important that livestock owners take all the precautions they can to stop the spread of this disease.

While the link between badgers and bovine tuberculosis (TB) remains unclear and open to debate, there is little doubt that badgers are one of the causes of the spread of this catastrophic disease. Research from Northern Ireland found that bovine TB can be found in approximately 20 per cent of badgers and 2 per cent of deer. To eradicate TB, significant action must be taken to prevent its spread. 

Wildlife Biosecurity is the new buzz word being touted by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), and there is plenty of information and advice available from the government department to help farmers and livestock owners in the fight against TB.

One of the main areas that can be addressed quickly to eradicate the disease is the use of fencing to prevent badger movement. Here at Dodd and Co, we offer a comprehensive badger fencing system that will keep the badgers out and the stock in. DARD suggest fencing off badger setts, their latrines (usually a large toilet area a few metres from the sett) and paths that are followed by the badgers. In addition, Dodd and Co offer badger fencing that will prevent the animals from entering the fields or paddocks where the animals graze, eat from troughs and drink.

We would also add that fencing off silage pits, feed storage areas and cattle housing areas. There can be no gaps under the fence and a simple gate will not suffice as these determined animals can squeeze through small spaces.

Other measures DARD suggest are: avoid grazing fields which contain badger setts; f do not provide feed to cattle where badgers or deer can share it; circular feeders, troughs, drinkers and mineral licks should be designed to minimise wildlife access; raise drinking troughs to over 85cms from the ground and keep them away from walls and ditches; check fields regularly for signs of badgers; and avoid over-grazing – cattle grazing short grass are more likely to come into contact with badger faeces.

As a further word of warning, if there are unusual spottings of badgers in the daytime be aware that this might mean the badger has TB – healthy animals are rarely seen during the day.

For help with all your badger fencing needs, contact us and we can talk about measures to keep your cattle safe.

Dodd and Co make impact at Wood Rising

PACT animal sanctuary at Wood Rising rescues, rehabilitates and rehouse the animals that have been let down by their human owners. Whether they are abandoned, neglected, injured or simply come from homes where their owners can’t cope, the Animal Sanctuary steps in to help.

It is not simply dogs and cats that PACT deals with, the organisation also rescues large animals, such as horses and donkeys, and it was in this area that the charity needed the help of Dodd and Co.

PACT animal sanctuary were forced into making a transformation after they had to leave the premises they had been using and move to a 17-acre site purchased from a local farmer. The field had to be separated into seven separate units, with a central pathway linking them all. The area needed to be securely fenced using a system that would prevent the animals escaping but would also keep them safe and free from injury.

In addition, a pond had to be fenced off and a major gas-line ran through the area, meaning considerable thought had to be given to the site lay-out and its safety requirements.

Dodd and Co were also commissioned to design and build a corral and yard area. This has been constructed with an eye to the future, so a barn can be built there when funding becomes available. A double gate leads into the yard, allowing easy access for livestock vehicles. The corral has extra high sides and is fully lined to keep it as easy to clean as possible.

The fencing and corral needed to be durable, have longevity and be high-sided enough to keep the animals in and intrusive wildlife out. It also had to look smart and stylish. The quality of the corral lining was important as it had to be durable, pliable and look good. Dodd and Co chose Stockboard as it meets all those requirements and is made from recycled plastics, meaning it is also environmentally-friendly – a highly important feature to PACT.

To construct the fencing, Dodd and Co used Tornado Torus horse wire netting, timbers from Calders and Grandige and Stockboard to line the pens. The whole project took eight days to complete and used more than 2,000 metres of wiring.

Key specifications:

High tensile horse netting
Torus joint horse netting
Half-meshed gates
Electrified hot wire

“We would definitely highly recommend Jamie’s work, the best fencing we have ever had done.

It was not the most straight forward project as we had particular requirements on our new farm, needing the whole 17 acres split into several paddocks and including a ‘race’ with access to all paddocks so that animals could easily be herded from any paddock to any other paddock. We also needed easy access for vehicles. This has proved invaluable as many of our equines are not easy to catch or handle. The project also included a corral where we could confine animals for handling, farrier and vet work.

The corral was largely designed by Jamie who took time and considerable patience on site visits to understand our needs. The race, originally designed by myself, was improved and changed on Jamie’s suggestions.

To add to the problems the site included a pond which had to be fenced to protect animals from injury and a gas main line runs through the length of the land which affected the layout of the race and pond protecting fence. Jamie spent time consulting with the gas engineers and established where the fencing could safely be erected.”

— Founder and Trustee of the PACT animal sanctuary, Chris Rockingham