Fencing costs

If you have only cattle a row of electric fence should do. It's up to your neighbour to keep his stock under control

I find PDM treated posts are generally good. But like with most things you will pay for them.

I applied for TAMS for fencing in the first Tranche. Still no green light, the OP would be pushing it down the road till this time next year at least I would imagine.

To reduce costs 3 foot sheep wire with one strand of heavy guage barbed wire on top will do. Sheep to tend to go under fence not over it so keep it close to the ground - you may have to back fill dips in ground after. Have a chat with neighbour he may go 50/50 or even 70/30 would help. A load shared is a load halved as the saying goes.

The best (but probably not the cheapest) fencing post is the imported ones from Latvia. Due to the much colder winters in eastern Europe the trees grow at a slower rate so are much harder and last longer. Home grown timber is too soft due to growing almost all the year around in a constantly damp climate. Most are just single dipped and start rotting the day they're put in the ground. The closer together the growth rings are the better the post.

Can you say where you got them? Price seems very good.

Also looking into fencing myself at the minute and the TAMS specs seem to bring a lot of work for what's needed in reality. I don't fancy putting 7ft strainers 3ft into hard ground

Given your urgency for fencing I'd go DIY fencing and save the grant for the shed if as you say it'll go beyond the 90k (assuming you're not in partnership in which case ceiling is 160k). I put in for fencing last June and still not approved.

I also don't think you can select sheep fencing if you only have cattle, you'd be restricted to bovine at €2.77/m rate

How tight is the open drain to the ditch at the moment? If you are back-filling this and have the fence on top of it I'd imagine you will need an extra foot or 2 on the length of the strainer as I will get very little stability from the backfill.

Is the drain taking water from your land or the neighbour's? You could bung the drain most of the way to flood a non compliant neighbour? Very petty approach but an option!

These are the posts I got

how do lads drive or put posts or stakes into rocky or hard ground?? some places i would need a rock breaker to make a hole first im just wondering wat lads do??

Not stones or rock but have to deal with solid pencil when driving corner/strainer posts. Have hired out a mini digger with a post hole auger and that worked well. Another time they didn’t have an auger so dug the hole, filled it in again and drove the post in that spot. Solid as could be.

With the latest TAMS there is no need to have sheep to qualify. Previously you had to have 40 ewes

Jumping on this thread if that is ok.

Wondering what is the best long lasting option for fencing a piece of land approx 170m, no sheep, some cows around.

Three/Four strands of barbed wire only or sheep wire with one strand barbed?

Which type posts and wire (don't want to be replacing posts and wire constantly)?

Any ideas for entrance gates to lane/house?

What sort of price would I be looking at for materials for self erect Vs contractor material supply and erect. Pros/Cons of both options.

Thanks.

Did a small stretch with clipex post. Wasn't 170m but was happy with them and would use them again. Still use timber strainer and at corners. No cheap way of doing it anymore

No 2 strand of electric. The were 5 ft post. Just like how they went in and the were solid enough. Posts were put on account tbh so don't know price but I will use them again.

No sheep

For a small stretch like that I think I'd go with sheep wire and 1 or 2 strands of barb on top. Would be using pdm stakes. If I could get a few old telephone posts as strainers Id go with that. Do see them advertised on done deal. For a nice gate how about depending where you are a nice gate from bo steel or fishpondiron.ie manor gate style.