What is employers’ liability insurance?

Employers’ liability insurance provides protection against legal liability for bodily injury or disease caused to employees of the farmer in the course of their farming duties. FBD provides a standard limit of indemnity of €13m.

Is there any cover for me or my family under employers’ liability?

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FBD is unique in that it provides employers’ liability cover for all farm family members once they reach the age of 14. Likewise, family members returning to help out on the farm, at weekends or summer holidays, are covered under FBD’s standard policy. Employers’ liability policy would not, however, apply to the policyholder(s).

Does employers’ liability insurance cover all the work carried out on my farm?

FBD can tailor your policy to suit the particular needs of your farming enterprise.

Some activities can fall outside what is considered standard farming practice. Contact FBD to check if you are in doubt. Certain activities, such as horse training or agricultural contracting, must be declared to FBD, so that your cover can be extended accordingly.

Does public liability or employers’ liability cover voluntary helpers and casual employees?

Voluntary helpers and casual employees are covered under employers’ liability insurance.

What is public liability insurance?

Public liability insurance covers legal liability for bodily injury, disease or third-party property damage caused to a member of the public arising from your farming activities. FBD offers a standard limit of indemnity of €2.6m.

As mentioned in relation to employers’ liability insurance, FBD emphasises the importance of making a full declaration of work activities. Agricultural contractors should also have their own cover for their contracting business.

How are animals covered while away from the farm, eg livestock at shows?

You are covered under your public liability insurance for any injury or damage that these animals may cause to members of the public or their property.

In cases where animals stray on the road or on to the road and cause an accident, am I covered? What about my animals going on to neighbours’ crops and gardens?

All of the above incidents are catered for under FBD’s standard public liability insurance policy where you, the farmer, holds a legal liability.

Am I covered if contractors damage their machinery in my field?

Yes, your public liability policy with FBD will protect your legal liability for these incidents.

Before making silage, you should discuss and confirm with your contractor that your fields have been rolled regularly, inspected and/or provide updates in relation to any change in use of the field since the last cut.

Where farmers have taken all of the necessary precautions, no liability may rest on the farmer for damage caused.

If a tree along a public road is blown down in a storm and hits a car and injures/kills someone, am I covered?

Public liability cover protects your legal liability in the event of an incident but you do have a responsibility and a duty to ensure that any trees that suffer from decay, disease or which pose a risk to the public are reviewed, monitored and where appropriate are removed or pruned.

If I am renting out my land, why do both I and the person who is renting the land need public liability insurance? Is this necessary?

Yes. Both the landowner and the person renting are potentially legally liable for incidents occurring on the land, therefore you both need to have insurance protection.

The landowner could be held legally liable in respect of property owners’ liability arising from defects on the property, such as defective gates or fencing or liability associated with third parties injured on your lands. The farmer renting the land could be held liable for his activities in using the land, eg leaving muck on the road, animals escaping or livestock attacking someone.

What is products liability insurance?

The standard FBD public liability policy provides products liability cover to protect your legal liability for bodily injury or disease or damage to third-party property arising out of defects in farm goods sold or supplied. The limit of indemnity is €2.6m in respect of any one accident and €2.6m in the aggregate in any one year.

What is personal accident insurance?

Personal accident insurance provides specified financial benefits to a person should he/she be involved in an accident. This should not be confused with health insurance. Legal liability is not an issue in respect of this class of insurance.

Weekly benefits can provide an income during the injury period to offset the cost of employing additional labour to do the work normally undertaken by the insured person.

Personal accident benefit levels are individual to each policyholder. Declaration of your occupation is crucial to this cover and FBD can extend personal accident cover under its farm multiperil policy to cater for secondary occupation(s) if farmers are working part-time off farm.

The insurance content contained in this article is a synopsis of cover available and commonly asked questions. Terms, conditions and normal underwriting criteria apply. FBD Insurance plc is regulated by the Central Bank.

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Special focus: farm insurance