Compare farm insurance quotes

Compare farm insurance policies from specialist providers

A farm policy can combine the cover a working farm needs, such as buildings, machinery, livestock, crops and liability, in one policy. On Quotezone, you fill in one short form and providers from our panel can then contact you with quotes to compare.

Whether you’re a livestock farmer, a crop farmer or a smallholder, it’s a good idea to compare farm insurance policies from a range of different providers. Shopping around in this way can increase your odds of finding the right farm insurance policy for your needs at the most competitive price.

What is farm insurance?

Farm insurance is a type of insurance policy that bundles together a wide range of different coverage options to ensure you have the specific cover you need to protect your own farm or smallholding.

For instance, if you’re a livestock farmer your farm insurance policy will include livestock insurance, while your farmhouse, outbuildings, farm equipment and farm vehicles can be covered by other property, vehicle and equipment coverage options that you can bundle with your policy.

Who needs farm insurance?

If you own a working farm then it’s vital that you take out the right farm insurance policy. In some cases this might be a contractual obligation – for instance, if you have a mortgage on your farmhouse there’s a good chance that mortgage agreement will oblige you to insure the farm building.

In other cases it will be a legal obligation – for instance, while farm vehicles usually don’t have to be insured for use on your own farm land, if you ever have to drive them off your own land (using a country road to take a tractor from one of your farm’s fields to another one, for example) then you are legally obliged to insure those vehicles.

Of course, even if you don’t have legal or a contractual obligation to take out farm insurance, it’s still a sensible investment. After all, your farm buildings, equipment and vehicles are likely to be worth a lot of money, and for most livestock farmers or crop farmers those things are more than just buildings and vehicles – they’re also your livelihood.

How much does farm insurance cost?

Farm insurance policies are very much tailored to your own needs, which means it’s impossible to compare one farm’s insurance policy to another’s.

For instance, livestock farmers will need to ensure their livestock has suitable coverage included in their farm insurance policy, whereas crop farmers generally won’t require livestock cover.

A range of other risk factors will also influence your premium, and many of those factors are specific to you and your farm, so the best plan is to shop around by comparing farm insurance quotes from a range of different providers.

Which risk factors will influence the cost of my farm insurance?

Over and above the actual policy features, add-ons and extras you choose to bundle with your own farm insurance policy, insurance providers will also consider a number of risk factors that are designed to assess the likelihood that you might end up claiming on your insurance – and how much the resulting pay-out might be if you do claim.

For instance, your location will be taken into account, since farms in certain regions have a higher risk of farm equipment theft than farms in other areas.

Your own history of insurance claims will also be a factor, because if you’ve claimed on your farm insurance in the past five years there’s a higher risk you might have to claim again.

The age of your farmhouse and outbuildings will also be a risk factor, as will the estimated market value of those buildings.

Finally, the value of your livestock, farm vehicles and farm equipment will all be considered, since those could affect the size of a pay-out in the event of a claim.

Does farm insurance include public liability cover?

It can do, yes. If your farm has a farm shop or is an open farm that is visited by members of the public, many farm insurance specialists will allow you to include public liability cover as part of your farm insurance policy.

And employers’ liability cover? Can that be bundled with my farm insurance policy too?

Yes, many farm insurance specialists will allow you to bundle employers’ liability cover with your farm insurance policy, which could prove cheaper than taking out a separate, standalone employers’ liability insurance policy.

It’s worth bearing in mind that if your farm does employ staff then employers’ liability insurance isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a legal requirement in the UK.

Do you need employers’ liability on a farm?

If you employ anyone, usually yes. You must have employers’ liability cover of at least £5 million from an authorised insurer, and you can be fined £2,500 for every day you are not properly insured. You do not need it if you only employ close family members, as listed by GOV.UK (GOV.UK).

Three example claims on a farm policy

These examples are illustrative, not real claims, and what a policy pays depends on its terms and excess.

• Machinery theft. A quad and a trailer are taken from an unlocked barn overnight. Machinery and theft cover could pay to replace them, subject to any security conditions.
• A visitor injury. A customer at your farm shop trips on uneven ground. Public liability cover can pay compensation and legal costs if you are found responsible.
• Storm damage. A storm lifts part of a barn roof and rain spoils stored feed. Buildings and contents cover can pay for repairs and the lost feed, if both are insured.

Can a farm policy cover crops and machinery?

It can, or you can insure them separately. Crop cover for storm, hail and flood damage is explained on our agricultural insurance page.

For machinery, see farm equipment insurance. For a single tractor, get a tractor insurance quote, or look at farm fleet insurance if you run several vehicles.

You might also need

Farm liability insurance matters if the public visit your farm shop or open days, and commercial property insurance can cover other business buildings you own.