Public Liability insurance is vital for farms due to potential injury or property damage to third parties. It safeguards landowners and occupiers from incidents like public injuries on their land or livestock causing accidents. This coverage includes legal expenses and compensation for affected parties.

For smallholdings and hobby farms, standard home insurance often excludes land coverage and liability related to business activities. Livestock is usually not covered, potentially leading to significant liability claims if they escape and cause damage.

Employers Liability is legally mandatory with employees, except for sole directorships or family-only employment. Even 'silent directors' of limited companies with multiple directors need it. Labor-only subcontractors are treated as employees for insurance. Contact us if unsure about your need for Employers Liability coverage.

Environmental Liability operates in the event of a pollution event and covers things such as clean-up costs and legal expenses. For farms this is particularly important due to the amount of potential pollution risks; diesel tanks, slurry pits and asbestos in buildings. Quite often farms will have streams, rivers and other bodies of water on the land increasing the potential for pollution events.

Tractor insurance is legally mandated for public highway use, covering Road Traffic Act liability, even on farms with public access. It applies to situations like a tractor hitting a delivery vehicle on the farm, where motor liability is needed. Coverage options range from Third Party Only for liability to Comprehensive for accidental damage, fire, and theft.

Certain items of machinery & plant are legally required to have inspections at regular intervals. The regulations most pertinent to farming are;

• Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).
• Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR).
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).

Products Liability covers the costs you are liable for as a result of injury, illness or damage from your produce or goods that you sell. For example, a customer contracts food poisoning from meat sold at your farm shop that you have produced. You can be found legally liable regardless of whether you have manufactured the product or simply bought in as stock to sell on.

There is a range of covers for livestock, from theft, to straying and from fatal injury in transit to loss of use (fertility) cover. Animals are generally covered as a herd or flock, with a maximum value per animal of £10,000. Animals over this value are specified separately.