Does Farm Insurance Cover Transit Of Livestock?

Cows, sheep and pigs don’t always stay in the same place. But when you move your livestock, does your farm insurance still cover them?

Yes it will, if you have that cover included on your policy. It’s easy and worthwhile to get your herd insured, so don’t put it off.

Moving your animals from place to place may be a vital part of making your farm run smoothly. Ensure you have the proper coverage, wherever you take your animals.

In this article, we’ll go over the following questions:

• How do I insure my farm animals?
• Are farm animals only insured on my property?
• Can I insure my livestock for all risks?

Make sure your animals have the best coverage to protect them from harm. Farms can be dangerous places, not just for people, so insuring your assets is in your best interest.

How do I insure my farm animals?

The first step is to give us a call for the best quote. When you call us here at OCI.ie, we will ask you a few questions that will help us tailor the quote better for your individual needs.

For example, these questions may include:

• How much is your herd worth?
• How many animals are in your herd?
• What breed are they?
• Do you move them, and if so, where and how often?
• Do they regularly see a vet?

Standard farm insurance should cover injury to livestock as a result of a sudden or unexpected event. However, you need to check your individual policy to make sure. Farms can be dangerous places for animals as well as humans, and the risks to your livestock are numerous.

Even if your livestock are insured on your farm, they may not have insurance while in transit. If this is an important section you need to have, you’ll need to add it to your policy.

Are farm animals only insured on my property?

Standard farm insurance will cover livestock while they are on your land. If you simply move them from field to field, you should be able to rest easy in the knowledge that there are no gaps in your cover.

As always, check your individual policy, as this may not always be the case. If you’re confused, call our experts – our farm insurance advisors will be happy to take a look at your policy for you.

If you have opted for livestock cover as part of your farm insurance, your livestock in transit is automatically covered. This means that no matter where you take them, they will be insured against all risks.

Livestock are at particular risk on the road, so it makes sense to have the most comprehensive cover possible. If you have livestock included on your farm insurance, they will also be covered during loading and unloading from your trailer or horsebox.

Can I insure my livestock for all risks?

As standard, any farm insurance with a livestock policy will cover injury to or loss of livestock as a result of a sudden or unexpected event.

Just like your home and other property, your livestock may fall foul of any one of these risks:

• Fire
• Lightning
• Explosion
• Storm
• Flood
• Collapse of slatted units
• Electrocution

The good news is, all of these risks will have coverage under any livestock farm insurance policy. Farm insurance covers your property against such environmental and sudden risks, and as livestock are considered property, they’re included in the policy.

Do you farm pedigree livestock? If so, you may want to buy separate cover from the rest of the herd.

You can insure pedigree animals against death or infertility, or other loss of the animal’s capability to be of service. Protecting your income is of vital importance, and if a prized animal cannot function as normal this could prove fatal to your investment.

But take note: unless the cover is granted at a livestock sale, a vets’ certificate is required to confirm that the animal is in good health before you take out the policy.

Call and talk to our farm insurance team today

Many companies provide farm insurance, but they all have different levels of cover and policy excess. Give us a ring right now to find out which farm insurer best suits your cover requirements.