# Insurance for animal transport with horses, cattle and other animals in Germany

> Anyone who transports animals commercially carries live, valuable and sometimes unpredictable cargo. A horse is injured in the trailer, cattle break loose while loading, a motorway accident involves animals and people at once. This page shows what the rules require for animal transport in Germany, which insurance matters and what it costs.

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

## A horse is injured in the trailer during the journey. Who pays?

Motor liability pays for damage you cause to others with your vehicle and trailer, not for the animals you carry. The owner will claim from you if they think you secured the horse badly or braked too hard. For that you need livestock in transit or carrier liability insurance covering death, injury and emergency slaughter, plus public liability for your role as animal supervisor.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Motor liability for every towing vehicle and trailer, by law at least €7.5 million for injury, €1.3 million for property damage and €50,000 for financial loss
- **Approval:** Commercial animal transport is governed by EU Regulation 1/2005; transporters receive a twelve digit approval number, and drivers and attendants of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry need a certificate of competence
- **Liability:** Anyone who takes over supervision of an animal by contract is liable under § 834 BGB for harm it causes to others, unless they took the care required
- **Goods haulage:** Commercial transport with vehicles over 3.5 tonnes needs liability insurance under § 7a GüKG of at least €600,000 per event
- **Often forgotten:** Death or injury of the animals carried: motor insurance as a rule does not pay for that

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Injured or dead animals:** A horse falls in the trailer, pigs suffer heat stress in a traffic jam, a calf is crushed while loading.
- **Animals breaking loose:** While loading or after an accident, animals run onto the road. Damage to other vehicles can be severe.
- **Accidents with a trailer:** Heavy trailers, moving cargo and long distances raise the accident risk.
- **Kicks and bites:** Drivers and helpers are kicked or crushed while loading.
- **Vehicle off the road:** A specialist vehicle is hard to replace. If it breaks down, booked runs to auctions, shows or abattoirs fall through.
- **Authorities and checks:** Breaches of journey times or stocking density lead to fines and disputes over approval.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 3, Theft 2, Cyber 1, Downtime 4, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Car insurance** (Essential): Motor liability is required for towing vehicle and trailer; comprehensive cover protects the expensive specialist vehicle. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Essential): Livestock in transit cover for death, injury and emergency slaughter of the animals and your liability to the owner. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Business liability** (Essential): For your liability as animal supervisor and for damage while loading, for example to stables, gates and other vehicles. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For fines, disputes with authorities over conditions and with customers over injured animals. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Accident insurance** (Strongly advised): For yourself if you are injured while loading; kicks from horses and cattle are common. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-accident-insurance.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Depends on the business): From three vehicles, a fleet policy bundles tractors, lorries and trailers. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): For employed drivers and attendants on top of statutory accident insurance. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend heavily on species, animal values, routes and vehicles. Transporting valuable sport horses is rated very differently from slaughter livestock.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Car insurance | Horse box 3.5 tonnes, liability and partial cover | around €700 to €1,500 a year |
| Car insurance | Livestock articulated lorry, liability and comprehensive | around €4,000 to €9,000 a year |
| Cargo insurance | Horse transport, animal value up to €50,000 per trip, annual policy | around €500 to €2,000 a year |
| Cargo insurance | Livestock haulage, carrier liability under § 7a GüKG | around €800 to €2,500 a year |
| Business liability | Animal transporter with two vehicles, €5 million cover | around €300 to €900 a year |

For comparison: For animal transport we compare which animals and values are covered, whether emergency slaughter and vet costs are included and how your liability as supervisor is insured.

_Guide figures from our own quoting work, October 2026, excluding German insurance premium tax. Animal value and how animals are secured drive the transit premium. The legal points come from the statutes and ordinances listed._

- [Gesetze im Internet: Compulsory Insurance Act, minimum sums](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflvg/anlage.html)
- [Gesetze im Internet: § 1 Animal Transport Ordinance](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/tierschtrv_2009/__1.html)
- [Gesetze im Internet: § 2 Animal Transport Ordinance, approval number](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/tierschtrv_2009/__2.html)
- [Gesetze im Internet: § 4 Animal Transport Ordinance, certificate of competence](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/tierschtrv_2009/__4.html)
- [Gesetze im Internet: § 834 BGB, liability of an animal supervisor](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__834.html)
- [Gesetze im Internet: § 7a GüKG, liability insurance](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/g_kg_1998/__7a.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Horse transport** (one horse box, trips to shows and clinics): Car insurance, Cargo insurance, Business liability, Accident insurance. Together: around €1,500 to €4,000 a year
- **Livestock haulier** (two to four lorries for farm animals): Car insurance, Cargo insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses, Group accident insurance. Together: around €10,000 to €30,000 a year
- **Long distance** (fleet with long journeys and trips abroad): Fleet insurance, Cargo insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses, Group accident insurance. Together: individual, usually from around €30,000 a year

## The worst day in animal transport

Six losses that really happen in animal transport, all on one hot day in July. Tap through and see who pays.

- 05:30: While loading, a cow kicks the driver in the knee. (€5,000, Paid by: Accident insurance)
- 06:15: Two cattle break loose and damage a car on a country road. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 10:40: A sport horse injures its leg in the trailer during an emergency stop. (€25,000, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 13:20: The trailer starts swaying and the rig slides into the crash barrier. (€14,000, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 16:00: A pig dies of heat stress in a traffic jam and the owner claims compensation. (€400, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 18:30: The authority opens fine proceedings for an exceeded journey time. (€2,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)

**Damage so far:** €55,900

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have the value of expensive horses recorded before the trip; it makes settlement easier.
- Make sure emergency slaughter and vet costs are included in the transit cover.
- Keep approval, certificates of competence and journey logs up to date; breaches can put cover at risk.
- Check that your public liability explicitly includes looking after other people’s animals.
- Choose high motor liability cover; animals on the road can cause serious injury accidents.
- In hot weather, plan short legs and breaks; insurers ask how you manage temperature.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know specialist tariffs:** Few insurers write animal transport. As a broker we approach those that do and compare animal values and exclusions.
- **Claims experience from boat insurance:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We know how much a documented value before a loss matters.
- **Vehicles, business and private in one place:** Rig, liability, farm and pension with one contact person.
- **Family run, brokering since 1989:** Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and we can advise you in English. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Which insurance is compulsory for animal transport in Germany?

Motor liability for towing vehicle and trailer. Commercial transport with vehicles over 3.5 tonnes also needs liability insurance under § 7a GüKG of at least €600,000 per event.

### Do I need an approval to transport animals?

Yes, if you carry animals in connection with an economic activity. The basis is EU Regulation 1/2005; under the German Animal Transport Ordinance the approval number has twelve digits. Drivers and attendants of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry need a certificate of competence.

### Am I liable for an animal handed to me for transport?

Anyone who takes over supervision of an animal by contract is liable under § 834 BGB for harm it causes to others, unless they took the care required in everyday dealings.

### What does livestock in transit insurance cost?

From our quoting work, around €500 to €2,000 a year for horse transport with animal values up to €50,000 per trip. For farm animals, the premium depends mainly on routes and volumes.

### Does motor insurance pay for injured animals in the trailer?

As a rule no, because the animals are cargo. That is what transit cover is for.

## 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-animal-transport.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.