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25 Jan 2006, 8:53 PM Joules Joined on 25 Jan 2006 Posts 13 Livestock fencing on flood plains Trying to do the right thing for the environment can present considerable practical difficulties. We are looking to fence sheep and cattle out of a river to reduce pollution, bank erosion etc; it is an SSSI and the resultant growth in vegetation will also beneficial for the site. The cattle are easy; sheep not so easy,. especially as they have lambs with them in the spring.  The river floods and we know that ordinary sheep netting will not stay up for many years when it has to cope with flooding and flood rubbish (the river 'cuts a corner' when it floods). We can move stock out of the fields when the river is flooding. The whole site is in semi-natural permanent pasture and is a single field of about 60 acres, dissected by the river. We are considering permanent electric fencing; I have also heard of sections of fencing that can be detached at the bottom so that they can be swung up above the flood waters if flooding is forecast. As we are talking of well over a mile of fencing, on both sides of a river at one point, we need to get it right first time!  Our next problem is electricity supply - the site is quite isolated and we would consider wind/solar options if practical.  Finally, there are various gullies where drainage ditches etc join the river, there is also ridge and furrow, although this is not too pronounced next to the river, presumably due to its long history of flooding. Can anyone please point me towards best practice guidelines for such a scenario, or actual sites, or websites, pictures of fencing, suitable fencing contractors, or ANYTHING that will help us address this please?      Report

31 Jan 2006, 4:45 PM farm-advice Joined on 09 Nov 2005 Posts 473 Re: Livestock fencing on flood plains Temporary electric fencing is an alternative to permanent sheep fencing where floodwater is likely to destroy a permanent fence. Depending on the sensitivity of the site, total exclusion of stock from the river may not be necessary, but sited to avoid bank erosion, or temporary fencing put up after sheep dipping to avoid pollution incidences. If stock are creating an erosion problem in order to drink from the river then adequate drinkers within the field may stop this happening. Given that this is a designated site, then it is also looking at whether there is any suitable Higher Level Stewardship options for management to protect the river bank habitat. James Letts Environment Agency    Report

01 Feb 2006, 3:49 PM farm-advice Joined on 09 Nov 2005 Posts 473 Re: Livestock fencing on flood plains There are a number of HLS options that could suit the site:   As already mentioned sheep fencing is unlikely to be appropriate, therefore you could consider the following from HLS:   Permanent electric fencing (HLS code: FPE - £1.20 per m): Wire fencing shall be at least 1.05m high and constructed using a minimum of 4 wires, supported by proper straining posts. this option does require a mains-operated energiser. NB. As an alternative it may be worth considering permanent posts with retractable electric line for when flooding occurs. I have seen this system successfully used to control sheep grazing. Clearly by being able to wind in the wire this substantially reduces the risk of damage by flood. High Tensile Fencing (FHT - £1.25 per m): The fence must be at least 1.05m high and the number of wires should be appropriate to the function and agreed in writing with your Defra adviser. Straining posts can be up to 200m apart but must be situated at every change of direction (horizontal or vertical). With regards to temporary electric fencing, depending upon the situation it may be possible to fund this through an agri-environment scheme, however this would require an agreed change in specification or the use of a special project to fund the work. Paul Turner Rural Development Adviser - Herefordshire    Report

02 Feb 2006, 6:22 PM Joules Joined on 25 Jan 2006 Posts 13 Re: Livestock fencing on flood plains Thanks for this. Paul your comments are v useful, esp re: retractable systems, hadn't thought of that one, always associated it with temporary electric fencing in the past. Grassland is already in lowland grazing CSS which does not finish for another 5 years, part of a major agreement so unlikely to get HLS until that finishes and EN are paying for the fencing anyway, we just want to get the right sort. When we went into CSS, electric fencing was frowned upon so not an option. Going into CSS incidentally was one of the best moves we have ever made and I am a big fan of agri-env schemes. Comments below are based on experience and to try and get advisers to understand the practical difficulties of these things from already overstretched and impoverished farmers. We are keen to go ahead with this, we appreciate that diffuse pollution is a big issue in this area, but cannot do something that is going to add to workload once completed. EN suggested not putting sheep there -  but have you looked at the economics of dairy or beef production recently? The rest of the farm is not fenced up for sheep - and we have lots and lots fields on our 300 acres as we have never pulled hedges out, our 2 river fields are uncharacteristically large.  I'm afraid I don't hold out much help for temporary electric fencing  - for ewes and lambs? Grazing there for 9 months? Over a mile of it? You can try chasing them back in again, along a winding river bank! Long-term it would not hold cattle in either, so we would still need a permanent back fence although that could be barbed wire. If the river comes up we already have to concentrate on moving stock elsewhere on the farm (partly due to a flood allevation scheme that means water levels can rise twice as fast on our farmland as they used to) and would not have time to take up lengths of fencing too (it can flood in midsummer, not just in winter when there are no stock there). Also don't think fencing part of the river is an option - they go down to the river at the unfenced bit and then move up/downstream when water is low and reappear behind the fence. This already happens on another stretch.  Fencing across river to prevent this again a waste of time due to flooding and variable water levels. They do not only go to river to drink, but lambs to 'play' on the ledges and cattle to paddle on hot days (very picturesque, but not good for waer quality!). In dry summers and if they fancy a change of diet in other years, the sheep eat the reeds etc as they are more palatable than burnt up grass. Other experiences on this issue welcomed  - was talking to a agent yesterday who was having loads of problems with this as wrong sort of fencing had been put up to fence sheep out of trout streams. thanks      Report

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