Farmers Consider Hail Insurance

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31904, 4 February 1969, Page 1

Farmers Consider Hail Insurance

A committee of North Canterbury Federated Farmers was investigating a scheme for insuring some crops against hail damage, said the provincial chairman (Mr W. N. Dunlop) at a meeting of the agricultural section last evening.

He was replying to Mr G. A. Nutt, who had suggested that Federated Farmers should explore such a scheme. Mr Nutt said that while a scheme involving a general levy had not been supported by farmers in the past, an investigation should be made made into the cost of insuring one particular type of crop. Mentioning barley, he asked whether Federated Farmers could approach the Canterbury Malting Company, Ltd, to see what cost would be involved in. insuring contract crops. Mr Dunlop replied that the committee which met after the recent hailstorm over parts of the Ellesmere and Lincoln districts had since mate two approaches on the question of insurance. Mr Dunlop gave details in committee later in the meeting. Mr D. H. Butcher said he was concerned about reports

on the hailstorm. It was not what the reports had said, but what they had not said. Some small farmers had suffered very severely. Some of them had lost all their crops. Referring to a report on losses at Lincoln College, he said: “I don’t think Lincoln College will go out of business. Some farmers have lost much more proportionately.” Referring to losses in wheat crops, and the compensation payable, Mr Butcher said: “I don’t think it is realised that farmers themselves, must bear the first third of their loss before they can qualify for compensation.” Mr Dunlop replied that he thought the incidence of hail damage had been covered fairly well. This storm had pin-pointed the fact that there were farmers who were in a vulnerable position at any time. There would be an odd farmer who had lost 90 per cent of his crops this year, and he thought that had been clearly said.