# Insurance for cheese makers, farm creameries and dairies in Germany

> Listeria in raw milk cheese, a ripening cellar whose climate fails over the weekend, a cheese vat that breaks in the middle of the season: for cheese makers, farm creameries and dairies, much of the value sits in the cellar for months before it is sold. This page explains what to cover in Germany and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-cheese-dairy.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Is the cheese in my ripening cellar insured if the climate control fails?

Only if spoilage after a machinery breakdown or power cut is expressly included. Contents insurance pays for fire, burst pipes or burglary. If only the equipment fails and the cheese spoils, you need machinery breakdown cover that includes stored goods.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance; under the German Product Liability Act you are liable as a manufacturer without fault, for personal injury up to €85 million
- **Biggest risk:** Germs such as listeria in finished cheese, with people falling ill and a recall
- **Basic cover from:** around €400 a year for the general liability of a small farm creamery, a guide figure from our quoting
- **Accident insurance:** Employees are insured by law under Social Code Book VII through the responsible Berufsgenossenschaft
- **Often forgotten:** The value of the ripening stock: cheese that ripens for months must be insured at its full value

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Germs in the cheese:** Listeria and other germs are often only found in an official sample or after people fall ill. Raw milk and soft cheeses are most at risk.
- **Ripening cellar:** Months of work lie in the cellar. A climate fault, foreign mould or water destroys a whole ripening batch.
- **Cooling and equipment:** Milk tank, vat, pasteuriser and refrigeration run every day. If one fails, milk has to be discarded.
- **Cleaning chemicals:** Caustic and acid cleaners cause chemical burns, and a wrongly mixed batch can pollute waste water.
- **Foreign bodies and allergens:** Metal from the curd knife or press, undeclared ingredients in cream cheese and spreads: classic liability claims.
- **Farm shop and visitors:** Farm creameries welcome customers, school classes and guests. A fall on a wet floor ends up with you.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 5, Theft 2, Cyber 2, Downtime 5, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): With product liability for illness caused by your cheese and cover for accidents involving customers and visitors. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Essential): Replaces vats, presses, ripening stock and finished goods after fire, burst pipes, storm and burglary, at the full value of the cellar. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): For refrigeration, pasteuriser, vats and climate control, including spoiled milk and cheese after a breakdown. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Pays fixed costs and profit if no ripe cheese can be sold for months after a fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Strongly advised): For cheese in your own refrigerated vehicle, on the way to markets and retailers. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Depends on the business): If you own the dairy and cellar and they are not insured under an agricultural policy. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For dairies with digital traceability, till systems and an online shop. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend on whether you process raw milk, how long your cheese ripens and who you supply. A farm creamery with a shop pays much less than a dairy supplying supermarkets.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Farm creamery with shop and market sales, €3 to €5 million cover | around €400 to €1,000 a year |
| Business liability | Cheese dairy with 15 staff supplying retailers | around €1,800 to €5,000 a year |
| Business contents | Equipment and ripening stock worth €400,000 | around €600 to €1,600 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Refrigeration, pasteuriser and vats with a new value of €250,000, including spoilage | around €800 to €2,200 a year |
| Business interruption | Business interruption with a 12 month indemnity period | around €400 to €1,500 a year |

For comparison: Liability and contents cover for a small farm creamery cost roughly as much a year as two wheels of mountain cheese.

_Guide figures from our quoting, as of October 2026, excluding German insurance tax. Published tariffs for cheese dairies are rare. The sources support the legal statements on this page; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [Product Liability Act, section 1](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/prodhaftg/__1.html)
- [Product Liability Act, section 10](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/prodhaftg/__10.html)
- [Social Code Book VII, section 2](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_7/__2.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Farm creamery** (Cheese making on the farm with shop, markets and a few retailers): Business liability, Business contents, Machinery breakdown. Together: around €1,500 to €4,000 a year
- **Cheese dairy** (Commercial cheese dairy with ripening cellar supplying delicatessens and restaurants): Business liability, Business contents, Machinery breakdown, Business interruption, Cargo insurance. Together: around €3,500 to €10,000 a year
- **Dairy** (Dairy with milk intake, several lines and supermarket supply): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Business contents, Machinery breakdown, Business interruption, Cargo insurance, Cyber insurance. Together: individual, usually from around €15,000 a year

## The worst day in a cheese dairy

Six things that really happen to cheese makers, all on one Monday after a long weekend. Tap through and see who pays.

- 05:20: The ripening climate failed on Saturday. Foreign mould is growing on 800 wheels. (€45,000, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 07:40: The milk tank's cooling is broken and 6,000 litres of milk must be discarded. (€3,500, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 10:10: The authority reports listeria in a sample. Several customers are ill and claim damages. (€60,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:30: A visitor slips on the wet floor of the farm shop and breaks her wrist. (€7,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 16:00: The delivery van's cooling unit fails on the round and the goods can no longer be sold. (€4,500, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 23:10: A cable fire in the plant room spreads to the dairy and ripening cellar. (€420,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €540,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- Insure the ripening stock at its full value and raise the sum as the cellar fills up.
- Expressly include spoilage after failure of cooling, climate control and power, also for milk in the tank.
- Choose at least €5 million product liability if you supply retailers, and look at recall cover.
- Document checks, temperatures and batches; that decides the evidence and the amount after a loss.
- Plan a long indemnity period in business interruption, because ripened cheese cannot be replaced in a few weeks.
- On farms, check whether cheese making and the shop are part of the agricultural policy or need their own cover.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We look at the cellar and the cooling:** Ripening stock and spoilage are the most expensive gaps in the sector. As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert obtains quotes from several insurers and compares exactly these points.
- **Claims handling seen from the inside:** From boat insurance we know claims handling from our own work. That helps to set values and records correctly when the policy is taken out.
- **Farm, business and family in one place:** Dairy, vehicles, farm shop and your private cover come together with one contact who can explain German policies in English.
- **The Nammert family has arranged insurance since 1989:** Many cheese makers are family businesses, and so are we. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Is insurance compulsory for a cheese dairy?

Not by law. But you are liable without fault under the Product Liability Act, and retailers usually ask for proof of product liability cover.

### What does insurance cost for a farm creamery?

In our quoting, liability, contents and machinery usually come to €1,500 to €4,000 a year, depending on the value of the ripening stock.

### Does liability pay if customers get ill from listeria?

Yes, product liability pays for harm to health caused by your product and defends unjustified claims. The recall itself is only paid by a separate extension.

### How do I insure cheese that is still ripening?

With a sum that covers a full cellar. Many insurers offer declaration or peak value arrangements for stock that changes over the year.

### Are my employees covered for accidents?

Yes, employees are insured by law under Social Code Book VII through the responsible Berufsgenossenschaft.

### Is a farm creamery covered by my agricultural policy?

Sometimes, but often only within limits. Processing and selling are frequently treated as commercial activities and need their own cover.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-cheese-dairy.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.