Farmers should review their farm insurance plans every year to ensure they are fully covered as inflation and production costs rise, Christy Doherty, head of AXA Farm Insurance has advised.

Speaking on the latest episode of Farmland (Tuesday, April 12), Doherty outlined that as the cost of materials such as steel and timber increase, so too can the value of a farmer's holdings.

According to Doherty, farm insurance premiums are influenced by a number of factors and if valuations are inaccurate, some farmers could end up overpaying.

Doherty offered the advice during a wider conversation about the dangers involved in farming, following a recent partnership between Axa and Agriland Media Group for a digital-only farm safety campaign, supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

As part of the campaign, the insurance company will use its knowledge of previous claims to produce a series of farm safety videos on areas where accidents regularly happen.

"It is incumbent on any insurance company [which] is involved in risk management, to support farmers and farm safety and get the right message out there," Doherty said.

Taking extra time to consider the risks when doing something and pacing yourself is key according to Doherty, who said balancing safety considerations with the need to get the job done is vital.

Farmers understand the risks involved with working on the farm but sometimes they can become too used to them and forget to take the proper considerations, he said.

Last year (2021) in Ireland, 10 people died as a result of incidents on farms. While this was a decrease on the previous year, the farm remains the most dangerous workplace in Ireland.

"Farm safety has to be top of the mind. It has brought unnatural grief to farming families over the last number of years.

"If we could save one life and prevent one accident, we will have achieved everything in this," Doherty concluded.

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