# Livestock insurance in Germany: when an outbreak shuts the farm > If a notifiable disease hits a German farm, the state animal disease fund (Tierseuchenkasse) pays for animals the authorities order to be killed, up to fixed limits per head. It does not pay for the months of lost income that follow. That gap is what livestock business interruption cover is for, alongside mortality cover for losses from illness and accidents. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-livestock-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-06 ## Isn't the Tierseuchenkasse enough? It covers the value of culled animals, not the farm business. Under section 16 of the Animal Health Act (Tiergesundheitsgesetz) it pays the common value of each animal, capped at 4,000 € per head of cattle, 1,500 € per pig and 6,000 € per horse. It does not cover lost margin during a standstill, extra feed and housing costs, or lost sales when your own herd is healthy but sits inside a restriction zone. ## At a glance - **Compulsory?:** No insurance duty, but registration and levies with the Tierseuchenkasse are required - **State caps per animal:** cattle 4,000 €, pigs 1,500 €, horses 6,000 € - **Herd count date:** usually the stock on 1 January, set by each federal state - **Indemnity period:** typically 12 months, sometimes 18 or 24 - **Waiting period:** three months at some insurers ## How the German animal disease funds work Every federal state runs a Tierseuchenkasse. Keepers of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses and poultry register their animals and pay an annual levy, depending on state law. When the veterinary office orders a cull because of a notifiable disease, the fund pays the animals' common value up to the legal caps, and the state itself carries half of that compensation where levies are charged. The payment depends on your paperwork. If the herd was not registered, was under-reported or the levy was unpaid, compensation can be lost. The count normally uses the stock on 1 January. Bavaria assumes 120 percent of the previous year's numbers if you do not report, and North Rhine-Westphalia can add a late surcharge after a reminder. ## The real loss is the empty barn After a cull the barn stays empty until cleaning, disinfection and official clearance are complete. If your farm is only inside a restriction zone, animals cannot be sold, grow past their target weight and keep eating. Piglets have nowhere to go. These losses often exceed the value of the animals themselves. Livestock business interruption cover replaces the lost contribution margin and extra costs after a notifiable outbreak, minus the agreed deductible. Better policies also pay indirect losses, where your herd is healthy but you are banned from selling because of a restriction zone. Most policies only respond to an official measure; a plain fall in market prices is not insured. ## African swine fever, bluetongue, foot and mouth Whether a disease is covered depends on the list in the policy. Basic wordings name a selection; stronger ones include every notifiable disease and add new ones automatically. Bluetongue in 2024 showed why: farmers received no state compensation for animals lost to it, so only private cover paid. After foot and mouth disease reappeared in Germany in January 2025, insurers paused new business for a while. That is the rule in this line: cover is only available while the disease is not yet at the gate. Waiting until there are cases in your district usually means no insurer, or a waiting period that runs straight through the risky weeks. ## What is covered - Lost contribution margin after a notifiable disease in your own herd - Lost income inside a restriction zone while your herd is healthy, if included - Extra feed, housing and prolonged fattening costs during a standstill - Lower sale prices caused by marketing bans and overweight animals - Death or emergency slaughter from illness or accident (mortality cover) - Suffocation after power or ventilation failure, if included - Extra perils such as salmonella or feather pecking, depending on species and policy ## What is not covered - Animal values already paid by the Tierseuchenkasse - A fall in market prices without any official measure - Diseases not named in the policy - Losses during the waiting period after cover starts - Emergency slaughter without the insurer's consent ## Who needs it - Pig farms with sows, nursery or finishing units, because of African swine fever - Dairy and beef farms whose income comes mainly from the herd - Poultry farms with mechanical ventilation and dense stocking - Sheep and goat keepers worried about bluetongue losses - Farms with bank loans that cannot survive half a year without sales ## Who does not need it - Hobby keepers with a few animals and no meaningful farm income ## What it costs Premiums depend on species, herd size, production type and the insured margin. German farm press quoted roughly 10 to 13 € per sow per year for the disease and accident modules together, varying by insurer, piglet output and animal values. For cattle and poultry, the deductible and indemnity period move the price most. **What drives the premium:** - Species and production type, such as breeding or finishing - Herd size and insured margin per animal or place - Indemnity period of 12, 18 or 24 months - Size of the deductible - Scope of the disease list and whether indirect losses are included - Region and disease situation when you apply _We do not quote sample premiums because acceptance changes with the disease situation and insurers reprice quickly. Your premium is set in the quote we obtain with your herd details._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Disease module:** Business interruption after an official order affecting your own herd, with a list of the main diseases and 12 months' indemnity. The starting point on a tight budget. - **Disease plus restriction zone:** Adds indirect losses inside restriction or surveillance zones and all notifiable diseases. The right level for pig and poultry farms in livestock-dense regions. - **Full cover with mortality:** Disease, restriction zones, a longer indemnity period, plus mortality from illness and accident and failure of barn technology. For farms that live almost entirely on their animals. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Disease list | selected diseases such as ASF, FMD, avian flu | all notifiable diseases, new ones added automatically | Bluetongue proved the next outbreak may not be the one you expected. | | Indirect losses | not covered | restriction and surveillance zones included | Most farms are hit through a zone around someone else's outbreak, not in their own barn. | | Indemnity period | 12 months | 18 to 24 months | Restocking, health status and sales after a cull often take longer than a year. | | Deductible | fixed by the insurer | selectable to match the farm's reserves | A higher deductible lowers the premium, but you must be able to carry it. | | Waiting period | three months | as short as possible and agreed before signing | Buying cover when a disease approaches lands you in the waiting period. | | Extra costs | lost margin only | feed, housing, transport and disposal included | Under a marketing ban costs keep running while the animals keep growing. | ## Insurers on the German market Only a few insurers write livestock cover in Germany, most of them mutuals with farming roots. After outbreaks some stop taking new business for a time. This is a view of the market, not a list of our partners. - **Vereinigte Tierversicherung (VTV)**: livestock specialist of the R+V group - **R+V**: farm package with livestock and business interruption modules, sold through cooperative banks - **LVM**: mutual insurer founded by farmers, disease and business interruption cover - **Uelzener**: animal insurer from Lower Saxony, restricted acceptance for pig farms - **Versicherungskammer Bayern**: public insurer with agricultural business in Bavaria 155 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Hagel-, Frost- und sonstige Sachschäden). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **ASF nearby, farm in restriction zone** (often five or six figures): Your pigs are healthy but cannot be sold. Only a policy with indirect losses pays. - **Authorities order the herd culled** (animal value plus months without income): The Tierseuchenkasse pays animal values up to its caps. The lost income afterwards is the insurer's part. - **Bluetongue kills several cows** (thousands of euros per animal): There was no state compensation in 2024. Only farms with disease or mortality cover were paid. - **Ventilation fails overnight** (an entire batch): Covered if technology failure is included and conditions such as an alarm were met. Otherwise cover can fall away. - **Cover bought after the outbreak** (the whole loss): Nothing that happens before cover starts or during the waiting period is paid. Disease cover must be in place first. - **Cow dies after calving** (value of the cow): A mortality claim, not a matter for the disease fund or business interruption cover. ## Myth or truth - „In an outbreak the German state pays for everything." ✘ False. The Tierseuchenkasse pays animal values up to caps. Lost income, extra costs and restriction zone losses stay with the farm. - „Failing to register your herd can cost you compensation." ✔ True. Compensation from the fund depends on proper registration and payment of the levy. - „The fund pays at most 4,000 € for a head of cattle." ✔ True. That is the legal cap in section 16 of the Animal Health Act, even if the animal was worth more. - „You can buy disease cover at any time." ✘ False. Insurers often refuse new business in affected regions, and waiting periods of up to three months are common. - „Business interruption cover pays when prices fall." ✘ False. A drop in market prices without an official measure affecting your farm or zone is not insured. ## Common mistakes - Not registering the herd correctly with the Tierseuchenkasse - Waiting until the disease is already in the region - Insuring only an outbreak on your own farm and forgetting restriction zones - Choosing 12 months' indemnity when restocking takes longer - Expanding the herd without updating the policy ## FAQ ### What does the Tierseuchenkasse pay after a cull? The common value of animals the authorities ordered killed, capped at 4,000 € per head of cattle, 1,500 € per pig and 6,000 € per horse. You must have registered the herd and paid the levy. Lost income afterwards is not included. ### Does the policy pay if my animals are healthy? Only if indirect losses are included. Then it pays when your farm lies in a restriction or surveillance zone and you are not allowed to sell. Basic policies leave this out. ### Can I still buy cover once the disease is in my district? Often not. Insurers stop new business in affected areas or apply a waiting period that covers exactly the risky phase. After foot and mouth disease in 2025 some paused new business entirely. ### Is bluetongue covered? If the policy names it or covers all notifiable diseases. In 2024 there was no state compensation for animals lost to bluetongue, so private cover made the difference. ### What is the difference between business interruption and mortality cover? Business interruption pays the financial loss after an outbreak or standstill. Mortality cover pays the value of individual animals that die from illness or accident. Many farms need both. ### Do I need to tell the insurer when I expand? Yes. The policy covers the declared herd. If you add animals without telling the insurer, a claim is settled on the agreed numbers. ### Is a power cut in the barn covered? Depending on the policy, through an extension of the buildings or contents cover or within the livestock policy. Some wordings attach conditions such as alarms or backup power. We check where the cover sits in your contracts. ### Why use a broker for livestock insurance? Because there are few insurers, acceptance changes with the disease situation and the differences sit in the small print: disease list, restriction zones, indemnity period. We obtain quotes while cover is still available and stay with you if there is a claim. ## Legal basis and sources - [Insurance Contract Act (VVG, German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vvg_2008/) - [BaFin company database (licensed insurers)](https://portal.mvp.bafin.de/database/InstInfo/) ## Request quotes We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-livestock-insurance.php#anfrage --- 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.