Peter and Paula Hynes operate a 180-cow grass-based dairy herd in Co. Cork, alongside their three daughters: Chloe, Georgie, and Becky.
The Hynes family began farming in 2010 and have been in expansion-mode since 2015.
The family run farm operates 365 days/year. Therefore, they make sure that the necessary steps are taken to ensure that the well-being of the family and the herd are taken care of so production can continue.
Working together
Every farmer follows protocols to prevent the incidence of accidents, however sometimes the nature of accidents is unpredictable and unavoidable.
With safety in mind, the Hynes family moved their farm insurance to Zurich in 2017 – and they have not looked back since.
“We operate the farm with a team ethos. Everybody in Zurich has become part of that team,” said Peter.
As the Hynes’ farm is family run, teamwork is paramount and Zurich has provided them with this support through regular, personalised farm visits.
In the video below, Peter discusses how their farm business development manager, JP Aherne, has worked with them to make the Hynes’ farming life easier.
“It’s a quick phone call to JP. He knows the run of the place, he knows the machines on the farm. It takes a lot of the work and stress out of it for me,” said Peter.
Shortly after moving their insurance to Zurich, the Hynes family experienced an accident on the farm which required making an insurance claim. Paula mentioned how the claims process was stress-free and easy, and was resolved quickly over a few phone calls with the experienced claims team at Zurich.
“It was all resolved very quickly. There was no hassle. Just a few phone calls and it was sorted, and everything was paid out very quickly,” Paula said.
Zurich farm insurance experts
Zurich’s farm-insurance team experts are passionate about farming and have over 130-years of experience in the field.
Zurich’s farm insurance experts are located across the country: Munster, the southeast, the northwest and the midlands. They offer personalised onsite farm visits, which give farmers the chance to properly review their sums insured and ensure that they have adequate cover for their farm.
In the video above, Zurich expert JP runs through his usual routine when meeting new clients.
On arrival, JP will meet the clients first, walk through the farmyard, create a sketch of the buildings, and get a cost for values of the various building sizes which is required for reinstatements.
Creating a long-term relationship and trust with clients is of utmost importance to JP.
“There’s no hard or fast rules. You make conversation with the customer and you ask your questions, and they’ll ask you questions. I’m from a farming background so I’d have an understanding of farmers and their needs,” JP said.
Zurich’s focus is on putting the farmer first, and together with its history of settling 99% of its farm claims, this means that its farm insurance provides peace of mind to the farmer, their family and their business.
“Being able to control my insurance on the farm is key. With the support of my local farm-insurance expert, JP Aherne, this gives me reassurance that I have the right cover in place,” said Peter.
From January to December 2021, on average, Zurich paid out on 99% of motor, home, van, farm and windscreen insurance claims.
Excellent claims service
Zurich has a dedicated claims department and team, based in Co. Wexford, that deals specifically with farm insurance claims.
Zurich’s Wexford office provides customers with the reassurance of dealing with a specialised underwriting team and reliable claims team, all backed up by a team of farm insurance experts positioned around the country with enhanced experience.
“This gives us the confidence that on any issue we have a local office, a back-up, in Wexford where claims can be resolved promptly,” said JP.
“It’s reassuring to know that I’m insured with a company that cares about doing the right thing. We’ve experienced first-hand the excellent claims service from Zurich Farm Insurance.
“While you think you’ll never have a claim, we did, and Zurich lived up to their promise. They made everything so easy,” said Paula.
Contact Zurich’s farm experts directly by phoning: 053 915 7677, or; 0818 800 171, or alternatively, email: [email protected].
