Protecting Your Flock riskmitigation in the poultry sector
P oultry farming may be one area of agriculture that is thriving, but the threat of avian influenza (AI) is never far from the minds of those operating in this sector. Despite the UK sitting at the outer edge of migratory flight path for many wild birds, a number of high profile outbreaks of avian flu have occurred in the UK since 2006, often carried in by migrating birds, and culminating in the ‘Preston outbreak’ in July 2015 which saw over 193,000 mostly free- range birds culled. Whilst the Government takes responsibility for the preliminary cleansing and disinfection of any site infected with AI, the bill for the secondary cleansing and disinfection is borne by the farmer. Mindful of the risks from AI outbreaks, the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) partnered with Scrutton Bland to create an insurance product for their 500 members specifically written to mitigate the impact of an AI outbreak and late last year a scheme was launched which provided BFREPA members with cover against the cost of avian influenza, including up to £1m of
secondary cleansing and disinfection cover. The bespoke policy is now part of the BFREPA membership package and offers a further valuable benefit which has been instrumental in growth in member numbers in 2016. Myles Thomas, Chairman of BFREPA commented “The introduction of an insurance policy for members of BFREPA has in my view been a milestone moment in the history of our association, and we’re thrilled with the efforts of Scrutton Bland in making this happen.” Not content with setting up the policy for free-range egg producers, the Scrutton Bland agricultural team then looked at the associated risks for other aspects of the poultry industry, specifically the egg packing firms, who may be equally affected in the event of an AI outbreak. Current DEFRA regulations require that an immediate 10km exclusion zone is set up around any source of infection, which in turn means that egg packers cannot get to the eggs they need to keep their businesses moving. The consequences of this are clear: packers
lose money even though their eggs are not infected, and the shelf life of the eggs on farms within the protection zones is reduced as the eggs cannot be collected. As a consequence, Ed Nottingham and his department have created a policy for egg packers to cover loss of income as a result of of not being able to get to producers within a 10km ring around the packing centre. Furthermore there are now enhanced insurance packages available for egg producers, covering extra cleansing and disinfection costs, and additional loss of income. Free range poultry farming is one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK farming industry, so if you are planning to set up a free range unit, no matter how big or small, talk to one of Scrutton Bland’s agricultural advisers who can explain the ways you can protect your enterprise from the risks around avian flu. Contact Ed Nottingham on 01379 643444 edward.nottingham@merrickhill. co.uk www.merrickhill.co.uk
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