Spring has sprung on the farm - How to ensure you're adequately protected during spring season

The winter weather has passed (hopefully), there is a bit of warmth in the air and signs of growth in the fields and hedgerows signal that spring has arrived.

Farm work increases around this time, with the daily feeding of animals still indoors combined with additional field work from planting, sowing, slurry spreading and general field maintenance all to get sorted at once.

Not only are farmers busy with their own land preparation, but April also sees the start of the rental periods of additional farmland required for the business. These rental agreements, commonly known as conacre land, typically run on a timeframe from 1st April until 1st November. So, how does renting additional land factor into insurance?

On any farm combined policy for a typical livestock (beef, sheep, dairy) farm, the public liability section is rated based on the size of the farm business. So, for example the rate applied for public liability for a farm business with 300+ acres will be higher than a smallholding with under 40 acres.

As insurers use the size of the farm as a rating factor for public liability, it is important that the correct acreage/Ha is disclosed. If a farmer owns 100 acres but rents an additional 100 acres on a conacre basis, then 200 acres must be declared as the farm size.

As long as the land size is declared correctly then insurers will automatically extend public liability across the additional rented land without the need to declare addresses of this extra ground. This makes sure that the farm business is covered against any losses arising from negligence on behalf of the farm business.

Not only does the farmer, who is farming the rented land need public liability, but the owner of the land needs public liability as a property owner. This can sometimes be overlooked by the owner of the land, who may think no further cover is required if the tenant farmer has public liability.

The landowner also has a duty of care to any person who suffers loss/damage arising by or on the property. It is important that the landowner has public liability in place covering them as a landowner.

In addition, employers’ liability may also be required by the landowner if they employ persons to carry out maintenance e.g. fencing.

At AbbeyAutoline, the dedicated agricultural team can help guide you with your insurance needs and provide the appropriate cover.

For further information or advice please contact the specialist Farm Team at AbbeyAutoline, 08000 66 55 44 or visit https://www.abbeyautoline.co.uk/farm-insurance