Warning as cost of farm fires hits £95.6m

Rural insurer NFU Mutual is urging farmers to be prepared to have fire control plans in place as the cost of farm fires reached £95.6 million last year.

Electrical faults were the biggest known cause of blazes last year but large-scale farm arson attacks shot up from £4.7m in 2020 to £8.4m in 2021.

Biomass boiler fires also continued to increase last year and as many installations begin to age, people are being urged to carry out regular maintenance.

Andy Manson, head of risk management services at NFU Mutual said: “Farm fires put lives at risk, as well as causing disruptive and devastating damage to farm businesses.

“To help protect their businesses, farmers should put fire prevention and control plans in place, such as regularly reviewing their fire risk assessment and acting on the findings.

“Most fires are preventable by carrying out routine maintenance and inspection on heating systems, electrical installations and machinery, and controlling hot works within farm workshops, etc.

“Implementing and maintaining good standards of housekeeping, particularly around the storage of combustibles and flammables such as hay, straw and fuels, will also reduce the risk of a fire spreading.”

NFU Mutual rural affairs specialist Hannah Binns said: “We are very concerned about the rise in number of arson attacks, which is a frightening prospect considering farms are not only farmers’ place of work but often their family home.

“We are urging everyone to be on their guard and improve their security.”