Vine and orchard solutions

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.

 

Liberty’s Bushfire and Hail policy blends both parametric and traditional insurance principles, with innovative satellite technology used to calculate bushfire impact and physical inspection used to determine hail damage.

 

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.

 

 

For further information please read our Vine and Orchard Question & Answer guide. Interested insurance brokers are encouraged to contact Michael Lincoln or Bill Hardie