Own-damage cover
- Theft with a coupling lock fitted
- Collision and overturning
- Storm and fire
Animal transport · fitting out · cleaning
Insuring a livestock lorry
With a livestock lorry, the rules on animal transport, cleaning and I&R registration (the Dutch animal identification and registration system) say at least as much about your risk as the collision you take out the policy for.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
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Calculate your premium or request a quote
Without obligation; a reply within one working day.
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 your own premium with the calculator.
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
Animal transport is professional carriage with its own legal framework. The EU regulation on animal welfare during transport imposes requirements on the authorisation, the driver's training, journey times and the fitting out of the vehicle. For an insurer that is relevant because it bears directly on the question whether you were authorised when the damage occurred. Driving without a valid transporter authorisation or certificate of competence is a ground for refusing cover.
The second point is the lorry itself. A livestock lorry is cleaned and disinfected at an approved location after every journey. That combination of manure, urine and cleaning agents eats away at the floor, the railings and the electrics. Insurers exclude corrosion, rust and deterioration through the nature of the transport as standard; that is not a sudden event but foreseeable use. Your maintenance regime is therefore not a discussion about premium but a loss prevention measure.
Finally, your liability. If livestock escapes after an accident and causes damage on the road, you are liable as possessor or business user under Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code, and where you keep animals for someone else Article 6:181 of the Dutch Civil Codealso comes into play. That liability runs through liability cover, not through own-damage cover.
Livestock lorry: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Body
What is fitted on or to it and is not in the list price.
- Tarpaulin, box body and tail lift
- Refrigeration unit
- Loading ramps and winch
Load
What you carry falls outside every vehicle policy.
- Own goods in transit insurance
- Goods in transit
- Storage requirements
What is covered
| Situation | Car insurance | Your own policy |
|---|---|---|
| Liability while driving, coupled | Yes | No |
| Damage to the object itself | No | Yes |
| Theft while uncoupled on the site | No | Sometimes |
| Overturning while driving | No | Yes |
| The load you carry | No | No |
| Overloading or inadequate securing | No | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Authorisation and competence are conditions of cover
For commercial animal transport beyond a certain distance, a transporter authorisation, an approved vehicle and a certificate of competence for the driver are required. Insurers include these requirements as a condition. If a driver drives without a valid certificate, or with a vehicle whose approval has expired, that is not a formality but a ground for exclusion. Keep the certificates and the vehicle approval together in one place, along with the inspection certificate for the tail lift or loading ramp.
Corrosion and deterioration remain at your own expense
Manure, urine, ammonia and the cleaning agents you are required by law to use attack floor slats, railings, wiring and the chassis. Every own-damage policy excludes damage that arises gradually through wear, rust and the nature of the goods carried. Only a sudden event such as a fire or a collision is covered. So run a maintenance and inspection regime you can prove; when you claim, visible deferred maintenance is almost always raised against you when the cause is established.
The loss of animals is not damage to the vehicle
If an animal becomes ill or injured on the journey, or dies, that is not damage to the motor vehicle and is therefore not covered on this policy. That remains so where the cause lies in the transport, for example heat stress or an excessive journey time. If you carry animals belonging to others, your carriers' liability comes into play, with the weight limits from the AVC or CMR conditions, which for livestock often remain far below the actual value.
Animal diseases and movement bans
In an outbreak, a movement ban can bring your lorry to a standstill overnight. The business interruption loss that follows is not covered on a vehicle policy; after all, there is no material damage. The costs of extra cleaning and disinfection, of a quarantine measure or of a fine from the NVWA (the Dutch food and consumer product safety authority) fall outside it as well. If you want to cover that risk, you end up with a business interruption solution and not with the cover on the vehicle.
From 750 kilos a registration number is required
A heavier trailer has its own registration number; also check that the driving licence is adequate for the combination.
Uncoupled is the moment of risk
As long as the item is coupled, liability runs through the towing vehicle. Once uncoupled that no longer applies, and damage to the item itself was never covered in any case. Insurers therefore require an approved coupling lock and a declared storage location; for higher values, a tracker as well.
What does your premium depend on?
- Species and body type — Cattle, pigs or poultry each call for different fitting out, a different weight and different deck floors.
- Maximum permitted mass — The weight of the combination drives the rating group, the licence requirement and the tachograph obligation.
- Journey distance and travel time — Short journeys within the region or long-distance transport with compulsory rest points.
- Number of vehicles — Several units are rated as a fleet, taking your own claims record as the starting point.
- The pool of drivers — Regular drivers with a certificate versus changing or hired-in staff.
- Maintenance and cleaning regime — Maintenance you can prove limits corrosion damage and counts in the acceptance.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Are the animals in the lorry insured as well?
No. A motor insurance policy covers the vehicle and its body, not the livestock you carry. If an animal dies or is injured, that is not damage to the vehicle. If you carry animals for a client, your carrier's liability applies, with a limit per kilogram from the AVC or CMR conditions, which for livestock is usually well below the actual value of the animal.
Is rust damage from manure and cleaning covered?
No. Deterioration from manure, ammonia and cleaning agents arises gradually and belongs to the nature of the transport. Own-damage cover pays only for damage caused by a sudden, unforeseen event. It is still sensible to record the maintenance of the floor, railings and electrics, because deferred maintenance can be used against you even where the cause, such as fire, is covered.
What if livestock breaks loose on the motorway?
The damage the animals cause to others is then your liability. As possessor you are strictly liable under Article 6:179 of the Dutch Civil Code; if you keep the animals for someone else in the course of a business, Article 6:181 DCC points to the business user. Those claims run through liability insurance and not through the own-damage cover on the lorry.
Am I covered if my lorry is idle because of a movement ban?
Not on the vehicle policy. A movement ban during an animal disease outbreak causes a loss of turnover without material damage to the lorry, and that is not an insured event. Extra cleaning and disinfection costs and any fines imposed also fall outside it. This risk belongs in a business interruption solution, which is assessed separately on the basis of your company details.
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.