Farm fires cost rural community £11.8m

First NFU report reveals devastating statistic for 2024

- STAFF REPORTER

The first Farm Fires Report from NFU Mutual has revealed that fires continued to devastate rural communities across Scotland, costing an estimated £11.8m in 2024.

Across the UK farm fires cost an estimated £102m, despite there being an 18 per cent fall in the number of UK farm fire claims involving growing crops, building and farm equipment reported to NFU Mutual last year.

The ongoing high costs has prompted calls for farmers to remain vigilant around the ongoing issue.

The leading causes of farm fires were electrical faults, arson and lightning strikes.

Fire damage to agricultural vehicles across the UK also cost an estimated £37m.

Last year’s cool and wet summer, coupled with farmers holding onto vehicles for longer and moving away from purchasing new vehicles, resulting in a likely lower replacement value, may have contributed to the reduction of combine harvester costs, down 52 per cent to an estimated £3.5m.

However, the previous two years saw the cost of combine harvester fires soar, at an estimated £11m and £7.4m respectively.

It is vital that rural communities are not complacent, especially as each year, hundreds of combines, tractors, and balers are still lost to fire, along with thousands of acres of valuable crops.