Our Key Account Manager in Scotland, Geoff Goodfellow, met the Estate team at the Highland Show where they were interested in the Clipex posts. After quoting on a section and rigorous testing, Triple X is now the system of choice at this forward looking Estate.

Balcaskie, fencing  a modern sustainable working Estate

Jim McLure & Poul Thomassen are the two men with the responsibility of maintaining the Balcaskie Estate, they have both been very busy throughout the exceptionally difficult past year, as well as all the usual demanding work involved on the working Estate, they have also installed over 20,000m of fencing, choosing the multi award winning Triple X fencing system.

‘’We believe Triple X is the future of fencing, the speed of erection is outstanding and is the main advantage on such big scale farming. Only two fencers on the estate, if we used timber, we would need more staff to have the same output’’.

The Balcaskie Estate lies 18 miles south of the home of golf, St Andrews, covering 2000 ha from the coastline at St Monans to Kellie Law and into the hills , of which 750ha are farmed organically. The Estate’s aim is to operate efficiently to high standards within the clear framework of farming as part of a sustainable environment. They farm over 250 Highland X Shorthorn sucklers, 650 Scotch Greyface mules and recently some Tamworth pigs have been introduced. The Estate is also shared by wild roe deer which need to be managed.

The Balcaskie Estate is in the East Neuk of Fife, source to some of the best ingredients in Scotland, with its rich fertile volcanic soil, bounded on three sides by the sea. The severe weather conditions of the coastal location meant serious consideration had to be given to the type of fencing chosen. In response to past poor-quality timber used on the Estate which had not lasted over 10 years, the Estate chose to trial a section of the Triple X fencing system in 2019, which proved very successful. Initial concerns that the all-steel system was a little too industrial for the environment were soon dismissed as the hot dip galvanised finish dulled down and the slim post profile blended perfectly into the landscape.

Wire of choice - Lamb friendly Xfence the ultimate in livestock safety and durability, reducing abrasion, head entrapment and tag loss. Couple the mesh pattern with the Zinc/alu coating which will last three to four times longer than heavy galvanised wire, especially suitable for coastal locations, made this wire the only choice.

Clipex intermediate stakes coupled with Triple X Strainers were used which offered a very good return on the initial investment with their longevity and also enabled the Estate team to install the product quickly and easily. Jim said, ‘’we have managed to do 20 acres in one day erecting Triple X Fencing and a gate from scratch and we save days not having to staple. Forward planning is the key, getting the strainers in using a tractor mounted knocker in good weather, the net and Clipex is run out on custom made bike trailers and a petrol post driver used. The bikes make virtually no mess, saving on ground compaction.

‘’We would highly recommend it, the cost of Triple X fencing it is no more expensive than timber, when you take your time into it you are making a saving on a fence that will last for generations’’. - Jim Mclure, Balcaskie, Farm & Estate Maintenance 

Jim McLure & Poul Thomassen of Balcaskie Estate farm and maintenance team are confident they can fence over 20 acres in a day using the Triple X Fencing System. Recent case based on a rectangular field using :