Lloyd’s Offers Poultry Farmers Coverage for Bird Flu

Heath Lambert has launched a facility to protect poultry farmers against avian flu (also known as bird flu). The exclusive facility, broked by the company’s specialist London market operation, FSJ, is 100% underwritten in the Lloyd’s opf London market.

It provides All Risks Mortality cover for poultry farmers and can be extended to include the financial consequences of an avian flu outbreak.

FSJ’s Bill White said: “Our unique facility offers farmers compensation for the financial impact of avian flu beyond the current levels of compensation offered by the UK government.”

But due to the uncertainty surrounding the spread of avian flu, White said the cover was constantly being reviewed. “It’s not likely to be around forever, as underwriters are reviewing the ever changing threat, on a regular basis,” he said.

Outbreaks of the avian flu strain H5N1 has been recorded in birds in Europe after migrating across from Asia. There has been one recorded case in the UK, of an infection in a recently imported bird in a quarantine facility.

The strain is highly deadly in birds and can be passed to humans, but so far the only people affected have been those in close contact with infected poultry or infective material from poultry. The virus has a high mortality rate amongst humans. According to the World Health Organisation, of the 117 people infected in Asia up to mid October, 60 have died.