2 February 2024
A freak hailstorm shortly after Christmas killed at least 800 small livestock and wildlife between Strydenburg and Britstown in the Northern Cape, again raising questions about the feasibility of insurance and the vulnerability of producers, especially in extensive livestock areas.
Hail is common in most areas that experience summer rains and thunderstorms but this hailstorm was a rare event, says Willem Symington, chairman of Agri Northern Cape.
According to Johan van den Berg, an independent agricultural meteorologist, such storms occur sporadically and are difficult to predict.
“It is interesting that the large hail in this case occurred over only a few farms. This indicates the dynamic nature of cloud development and that very specific conditions must occur for such large hailstones,” he says. “Very strong winds can also increase the kinetic energy of hailstones, increasing damage intensity.”
Van den Berg says specialised radar and other measurements can estimate the density of a cloud to give an indication of possible hail intensity. “However, it is only possible with very short notice of a few minutes.”
Could global warming have played a role? “Global warming provides more energy for the development of extreme weather systems, which play a role in hail risk, but it is very difficult to quantify.”
Andries Wiese, national business development manager at Hollard, says historical weather patterns are no longer necessarily a given in South Africa, and weather patterns change significantly over time.
“This makes it difficult to predict what will happen when. Untimely cold, hail, floods and related conditions can cause chaos, especially in the small livestock sector.”
Insurance: a difficult decision
Symington says farmers in extensive livestock areas insure buildings and vehicles but usually not livestock or grazing.
“The affordability of insurance is a problem. You can’t really be without crop insurance, but as your margins decrease it becomes increasingly difficult to pay the premiums.
“These days there are not many insurers in the market, so the conditions attached to the policies are strict and the premiums are high.”
Wiese says the insurance industry distinguishes between pedigree and commercial animals. Coverage for breeding animals is more comprehensive and extensive.
“But under insurance in its most basic form, most animals are insured against fire and lightning. Coverage against hail and storm damage is available but is an extension of basic coverage, and it must be specifically requested.
“The insurance of animals is also a so-called mortality policy, which means animals are covered against death, and bruising would not be a covered peril. The animal will have to die from the event or be culled on veterinary advice for the incident to be covered.
“However, farmers do not take out this coverage on a large scale and mostly handle it as part of their daily farming operations. The downside is that when such an incident occurs on a large scale, it can be catastrophic.”
Management in partnership
Symington says the management of agricultural disasters such as droughts, floods and fire should not only be the producer’s risk. Risks should be managed in partnership so they can be shared between the state, farmers and other stakeholders.
