Rural insurer NFU Mutual says its network of 550 agents is standing by to assist farmers in the wake of Storm Eunice.
The company’s rural affairs specialist, Rebecca Davidson said: “We have mobilised our network across the UK.
“They know their communities and are on standby to progress repairs after the storms, including making emergency payments and settling simpler claims immediately.
“We also work closely with agricultural specialist loss adjusters, so if you are unfortunate and have a bad loss on your farm then we’re able to deploy people who understand your business.”
In the meantime Ms Davidson called on farmers to stay up-to-date with weather warnings following the significant damage caused by Storm Dudley.
“Many farms are in exposed locations so we are urging farmers to plan ahead, take extreme care and not to underestimate the potential danger of Storm Eunice, including risk to life,” she said.
“There are a number of preventative steps that you can take while the weather is calm before a storm to help protect your property, but human safety should always be the number one priority.”
Forecasters say the storm is expected to bring power lines down, cause significant damage to buildings, rip trees from the ground and cause coastal flooding.
Ms Davidson advised farmers to prepare evacuation routes to get staff and livestock to safety in the case of extreme weather and to identify higher ground that livestock can be moved to in event of flooding or snow.
NFU Mutual’s check list includes: Have torches and batteries to hand and make sure any generators are ready to use if required; have emergency numbers available including your utility company, local authority and insurer’s emergency helpline; plan water and feed in advance, and increase provisions for animals who may end up cut-off during a storm; and download the what3words app which can pinpoint a location in case of emergency.