Liberty draws on weather data to commit to bushfire and hail cover for Australia’s vine and orchard growers
Having supported Australian growers over the past four years, Liberty Specialty Markets (Liberty) is preparing to be one of few insurers committed to bushfire and hail cover for Australia’s 2024/25 vine and orchard growing season.
“Erratic weather and an active claims environment has seen many insurers pull out of this market in recent years. We know many growers are now uninsured against bushfire and hail damage,” said Michael Lincoln who leads Liberty’s Australian Weather team.
“At Liberty we’ve done a lot of analytical work on hail frequency in Australia, and have a scientific approach to pricing. Traditionally hail frequency has been hard to predict and we’ve worked with a third party to study and map hail impact to allow us to remain committed to our growers,” said Lincoln.
“Policies for the upcoming growing season need to be in place by the end of September, so now is the time for brokers to be thinking about their agricultural clients,” said Lincoln.
Premiums start from around $10,000 and protect loss of earnings if yield is impacted by hail damage and against the loss of the vines and trees from fire.
Liberty’s solutions are suitable for a broad range of tree and vine grown crops including grapes, almonds, macadamias, olives, stonefruit and citrus.
Globally, Liberty is a leading agri-insurer and reinsurer with specialised teams in Paris and Australia. Liberty offers a broad suite of weather products to help protect a wide range of Australian businesses from adverse earnings due to severe weather events.
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Vice President, Crisis Management & Weather, Asia Pacific
My goal is the same as Liberty's – to provide the best recall solution in the Australian market, and to further tailor this to suit a client's individual needs.
Crisis Management
Michael leads the Liberty Asia Pacific Crisis Management and Weather teams from his base in the Liberty Sydney office.
Michael began his career in insurance while still at university, working part-time in administration for a general insurance company. After graduating in 1996 with a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University, he worked for five years, first in motor and householders’ insurance and then in contingency insurance, before moving into crisis management insurance with a leading global insurance company.
Michael joined Liberty in 2009 with eight years’ experience in crisis management insurance.
Senior Underwriter, Crisis Management & Weather
Service, responsive, and flexible define Liberty's Crisis Management team. I enjoy working with brokers to deliver bespoke solutions that are tailored to a client's needs.
Crisis Management
Bill underwrites risks for the four main product lines of Liberty Crisis Management; Contaminated Products, Product Recall, Kidnap & Ransom and Weather Index insurance.
Bill joined Liberty in January 2018.
I enjoy getting to know the intricacies of our clients in order to provide viable and valuable casualty solutions that facilitate their growth and success.
I strive to provide the best insurance solutions for our clients.
I have more than 10 years of underwriting experience and a background in finance and risk consulting.
Using both my experience as well as learning through colleagues, I work collaboratively with brokers to tailor solutions for Insured's across the professional lines space.
I believe it's the way we deliver personal service that makes us the most trusted claims brand in the market.
Even after 25 years claims experience, I still believe the most important part of what we do is delivering prompt, fair and professional service.
Relationships are key to me. I value service, trust and integrity, as well as nurturing the next generation of insurance professionals entering the industry.
Over the last decade at Liberty, my focus has always been on professional indemnity, and working collaboratively with our stakeholders to tailor solutions for their clients.
Behind every claim, a claim specialist serves as the orchestrator of resolution, we turn complexity into clarity by providing well-tailored strategies with unwavering expertise.
I'm dedicated to understanding my clients' individual circumstances to provide tailored solutions that meet their requirements.
