Farmers have been urged to check their farm insurance cover following a tragic case where a Cork farmer lost cattle due to electrocution.
The Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said he would urge all farmers to familiarise themselves with insurance to cover all risk management issues such as electrical storms, injury, theft, other weather related disasters and animal diseases and to ensure that they are adequately covered.
When asked in the Dail recently by Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae if there is a compensation scheme available in respect of such a case, the Minister said there was none, but urged farmers to check their own individual farm insurance to ensure they are covered.
Minister Coveney stated the situation in which this farmer finds himself is extremely unfortunate. However, he stated there is no specific compensation scheme in place for farmers who suffer casualties in their herd due to electric storms or other unforeseen events.
“It is not possible, regrettably, to introduce a compensation scheme to cover all unforeseen events”, he said.