Underwriting agency Glemham Underwriting has appointed Sophie Dunkerley (pictured) to lead the continued development of its farm insurance scheme in a move that comes as UK agriculture faces mounting financial and climate-related pressures.
Dunkerley brings extensive experience in the insurance industry, having spent much of her career in the London market specialising in agricultural risks. She also has a background rooted in farming and livestock, giving her a practical understanding of the risks faced by rural businesses.
Her appointment strengthens Glemham's farm insurance offering. Launched in 2019, the scheme provides comprehensive cover for farms, as well as products for agricultural contracting and environmental impairment liability. Complementary products sit alongside the farm scheme, including professional indemnity, commercial combined and property insurance.
Glemham, which operates as a managing general agent, was acquired by Alan Boswell Group to expand the broker's specialist underwriting capability in areas such as professional indemnity and farm insurance. The agency provides brokers with access to A-rated capacity and niche schemes at a time when the UK agricultural insurance market continues to be dominated by a small number of major carriers.
NFU Mutual, for example, has stated that it holds between 65% and 75% of the UK farm insurance market.
On joining Glemham, Dunkerley said: “Glemham has a strong reputation in agri insurance, and the opportunity to work closely with brokers was a big draw for me. I’m looking forward to building on that and developing the scheme so that it continues to reflect the diversity and complexity of modern farm businesses.”
Glemham continues to operate with a hands-on underwriting approach. That model is increasingly relevant for regional and specialist farm brokers, who are dealing with more complex farm profiles and growing demand for tailored cover rather than standard farm combined wordings.
Government survey data showed that UK farms are undergoing significant structural change.
In England, farmers on around three-quarters of holdings now have some form of agri-environment scheme agreement, and many report that diversification into non-traditional activities is becoming essential to remain profitable. Others say they have already diversified as far as they can and are still struggling to make money, underlining the financial strain many rural businesses face.
That shift has created a more varied risk landscape, with farm programmes needing to address exposures ranging from agritourism and let property to on-farm solar, biomass and contracting operations. MGAs that can offer flexible wordings, specialist endorsements and access to underwriters who understand day-to-day farming are therefore becoming a more important part of the distribution mix.
The appointment also comes as climate- and inflation-driven pressures change the risk profile of the agricultural sector.
NFU Mutual’s most recent farm fires report highlighted a sharp increase in the cost of farm blazes in 2023, prompting calls for farmers to review fire prevention measures and risk management. At the same time, UK insurers have reported significant increases in the cost of property claims more broadly, driven by higher materials and labour costs.
Environmental liability is another area of growing focus. With a greater proportion of farmers participating in agri-environment schemes and facing tighter scrutiny of pollution, run-off and biodiversity impacts, covers such as environmental impairment liability are becoming more prominent in agricultural programmes and are now a standard feature of some specialist farm schemes.
Against this backdrop, Glemham’s decision to appoint a dedicated leader for its farm scheme signals continued investment in a line that sits at the intersection of traditional rural insurance and newer environmental, diversification and regulatory risks.
