Greenwoods Solicitors

Acting on behalf of insureds, including farmers, landowners, businesses and other organisations, Greenwoods has a long history of involvement in the agricultural sector and provides a wide range of services, from handling claims involving property damage and personal injury to the defence of those facing prosecution under health and safety regulation.

Insurers who provide cover specifically to suit the agricultural sector can be assured that Greenwoods fields a strong team drawn from a range of practice areas and is more than familiar with the intricacies of insurance cover in this sector.

Our lawyers dealt with the first “cropstriping” coverage claim to reach the Court of Appeal, nearly 20 years ago. We have since handled a vast range of work, from such claims in respect of failed crop improvement to cases involving livestock disease and fires caused by spontaneous heating of bulk product. We might be acting on a contested liability claim on the part of a contractor, a subrogated recovery claim for a fire at a packaging plant, or a business interruption coverage dispute after stock movement restrictions; but what underpins our successful handling of the matter is an understanding of the unique characteristics and economics of the sector.

Personal Injury claims
Our Personal Injury Group fields teams covering the whole range of work, from motor claims arising from accidents involving agricultural vehicles, to employer liability claims arising from injury to farm workers and public liability claims involving, for instance, injury and/or loss arising from escaped livestock. As well as handling lower value claims, we have one of the strongest defendant catastrophic personal injury teams in the country.

Management of major incidents
We regularly advise on the management of major incidents and accidents such as those involving fire and flood. This involves helping our clients through the first traumatic hours and days of the emergency, advising on any injury claims, handling responses to regulatory authorities and advising on preservation of evidence and legal privilege. We also advise on the management of media enquiries. In short, we provide a one-stop service from the incident occurring through to recovery of losses.

Health & Safety
Even the most efficient agricultural business can find itself in a health and safety, environmental or other regulatory crisis. Our Health & Safety team is an acknowledged leader in the defence of manslaughter, health and safety and other prosecutions. The cases we handle range from minor land pollution to the defence of farmers, landowners, businesses and other organisations who find themselves facing prosecution by the Health & Safety Executive in respect of injuries and fatalities arising in the agricultural environment.