Livestock · farm buildings · seasonal labour
Agricultural insurance through Klaverblad
On a farm, living, working and animals all run together. That makes the question of who is liable sharper than in other sectors, because for animals and structures liability applies without fault.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Agrarische verzekeringen via Klaverblad.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Finass acts as an intermediary for the business range of Klaverblad and is not tied to it. We compare several insurers objectively and the choice follows from how your business is set up. A farm builds its cover from buildings, business contents and goods, liability, business interruption and its machinery. The broad overview is set out at environmental and agricultural.
What sets this sector apart is strict liability. For animals, Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Codeapplies: as their possessor you are liable for damage your livestock causes, even where you have done nothing wrong. A cow that breaks through a fence and causes a collision on the road, a dog that bites a walker, a bull that injures a visitor: the possessor bears the cost. For livestock buildings, silos, slurry pits and yard surfacing the same principle applies through Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code for structures.
The second distinctive feature is the accessibility of the yard. Contractors, vets, engineers, drivers, children and sometimes visitors to a farm shop or care branch walk across the same site where machinery is running. That widens the circle of people who can bring a claim against you. If you take on work outside farming, report it: ancillary activities such as contracting, letting storage space or recreation do not automatically fall within the described activities.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on SME insurance package.
Where an agricultural policy works differently
Four elements that regularly lead to disputes on a farm.
Animal disease and government measures
Culling, movement bans and a farm blockade during an outbreak of an infectious animal disease are excluded on ordinary business interruption insurance. That cover first requires material damage from a covered peril. A government decision is not that. A harvest that fails through drought, hail or frost also falls outside the regular sections, because crop damage is a separate product. See business interruption insurance for farms.
Livestock and crops are your own property
The liability section covers damage you cause to others. If your own herd dies through a power failure in the ventilation or a defective milking installation, that is not a liability loss but damage to your own property, and it is only covered if you have a separate section for it. Faults in climate control and feeding systems also often fall under inherent defect.
Machinery belongs on a policy of its own
Tractors, foragers, tippers and telehandlers do not fall under the buildings or contents section. On the public road the compulsory insurance requirement of Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)applies; in the field it is a matter of work risk. That split determines which policy pays, see agricultural tractors and implements and, for transporting animals, the livestock lorry.
Family helpers and seasonal workers
At harvest or during peak periods, people work on the farm who are not on the payroll. Your duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code applies to hired-in and helping staff as well, under paragraph 4 of that article. If someone is injured by a power take-off, a silage packer or a fall from a loft, you have to show that instruction and safeguards were in order. For continued payment of wages, look at agricultural sickness absence insurance.
What does your premium depend on?
- Sector: dairy, pigs, poultry, arable or glasshouse horticulture
- Number of animals and type of housing: decisive for the fire and liability risk
- Construction type and roof covering: thatch, corrugated sheeting or sandwich panels are weighed differently
- Secondary activities: farm shop, care branch, contracting or recreation
- Size of the machinery fleet: number of tractors and self-propelled implements
- Number of people working on the farm: permanent staff, family or seasonal labour
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Liability | Fire and property cover |
|---|---|---|
| Your cows break through the fence and cause a collision on the main road | Yes | No |
| A lightning strike sets the open barn with the hay store alight | No | Yes |
| A visitor to your farm shop trips over a threshold and breaks a hip | Yes | No |
| The ventilation in the pig house fails and some of the animals die | No | Provided that |
| The dog on the yard bites the driver delivering animal feed | Yes | No |
| A hailstorm in June destroys the crop in the field | No | No |
Damage to what is yours never runs through the liability section. The property sections or a separate product are needed for that.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Am I liable if my livestock escape?
In principle, yes. Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code places liability with the possessor of the animal, whether or not you made a mistake. If a collision occurs because cows are on the road, the other party can bring a claim against you. The liability section is the cover for that; damage to your own animals does not fall under it.
Does the policy cover losses from an avian influenza outbreak?
No, not under the regular sections. Culling, movement bans and lost income from a government measure are excluded, because no material damage from a covered peril precedes them. Separate products and schemes exist for animal disease risks; we assess those separately from the package. Always report a developing situation to your adviser immediately.
Why is environmental damage a separate insurance?
Because contamination of soil and water falls outside the ordinary sections, even where the cause is sudden. Remediation costs on your own land are not damage to a third party's property and therefore not a liability loss. There is environmental damage insurancefor that, which deals separately with the cost of investigation and remediation.
What if I start letting part of my barn?
That is a change in the risk that you must report. Storing third parties' goods, keeping caravans or subletting to another business changes both the fire risk and the liability. Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code requires disclosure and Article 7:930 DCC allows the insurer to reduce payment where that has not been done.
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