Does Farm Insurance Cover 3rd Party Professionals Visiting My Farm?

As a farm owner, you might have suppliers and other professionals visiting your farm. But are they covered by your farm insurance?

Yes. Under the public liability section of your farm insurance policy, anyone who injures themselves or has their property damaged and it is deemed that you are responsible, then your farm insurance policy will cover you.

Public liability is a very important part of your farm insurance policy for this reason: farms are dangerous places, even for you and the other professionals you welcome onto your land.

In this article, we’ll cover the following questions:

• What is the public liability section of my farm insurance policy?
• Does my farm insurance cover agricultural contractors?
• What happens if a visitor injures themselves on my farm?

Public liability comes automatically with your overall farm policy, but farms are still very dangerous places, so make your farm as safe as possible before you welcome any guests.

What is the public liability section of my farm insurance policy?

Public liability insurance is the section of your cover which takes on your legal responsibility to the public, visitors and suppliers. In the event of a claim against you following an injury, accident or property damage, public liability insurance will cover the amounts you’re legally responsible to pay. This could include hospital costs, loss of income, and damage to property or belongings, including work equipment brought on by third party professionals.

Your public liability section only covers land which you declare on your policy. This means you need to ensure you make a note of all outbuildings, sheds, follies and ruins you have on your land, even if they are no longer maintained.

Public liability exists to protect the general public against most risks they could come across. You should still ensure your farm is as safe as possible by erecting signage and appropriate safety measures wherever possible.

Does my farm insurance cover agricultural contractors?

If you have professional third parties visit your farm on an agricultural contracting basis, they will need their own agricultural contract insurance.

You will need employers’ liability insurance if other people work on your farm on a more regular basis, such as seasonal employees or voluntary helpers.

Employers’ liability insurance helps cover the cost of compensation for your employee’s injuries or illness which may occur while working on your farm. It’s important to have, as there are many risks to people working on farms, including injury from livestock, machinery, or trips, slips and falls.

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, all farmers have a duty to prepare a Farm Safety Statement. This is a document which outlines all the risks and hazards on their farm.

As an alternative to preparing a written Safety Statement, farmers with three or less employees can simply complete a risk assessment. You can find a copy of the Code of Practice document on the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) website.

What happens if a visitor injures themselves on my farm?

If someone contacts you stating that they hold you responsible for an injury or for property damage that occured on your farm or as a result of your farming activities, you should contact your insurance provider straight away. They will be able to inform you of the next steps you need to take.

If you believe that you are not responsible for the incident, you should still report the incident to us as your broker and to your insurance company because they will investigate the circumstances of the incident and defend you including appointing solicitors to act in your interest.

If you have been found to be negligent, if you don’t take reasonable precautions and are seen to behave in a risky fashion, your insurance may not pay out for a claim. This means you’ll have to pay out of pocket for all damages and the total may be very costly indeed.

Confused about farm insurance? To make sure all third parties visiting your farm are adequately protected, get in touch with us today.