Extra insurance required | Cost on $100,000 of livestock would cost $400
A southern Alberta farmer who lost 22 sheep when they were trucked to Alberta from Saskatchewan recommends livestock producers buy transit insurance before hauling livestock long distances.
Bert Peeters thought livestock insurance was included in the cost of trucking the 390 sheep 900 kilo-metres to Duchess, Alta., from Kelvington, Sask.
“I thought I had insurance through the trucker,” said Peeters, who is now out $7,700.
However, he found out that he didn’t.
“I never knew that. Lots of people don’t know that.”
Glenda Erb, Peeters’ girlfriend, said they asked the original owner of the sheep, if they needed to buy extra insurance, but were told the trucker, Kelso Trucking of Rapid City, Man., had insurance.
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“It was my understanding he had insurance,” said the original owner, who asked not be identified.
He said he now understands the insurance was just if the truck was in an accident.
Kelso Trucking said there is livestock insurance when shipping from a farm to a packing plant, but not farm-to-farm.
“It’s up to the buyer or seller to put insurance on,” said a man with Kelso Trucking, who did not identify himself. He said he was aware of the situation with Peeters’ sheep.
The original owner said he began loading the sheep at about 4 p.m. and the truck left the yard around 7:30. The sheep were expected to arrive in Duchess about 6 a.m., but didn’t get to the farm until 2 p.m.
“We were told it should take 10 to 12 hours, not 22,” said Erb, who is wondering where to look for help to recoup their losses.
The original owner said the sheep were in good condition when they left his farm and were not overcrowded.
“We were quite happy how they were spread out.”
He said he crawled along the side of the truck to look at the sheep in the truck before left the yard.
Miles Buswell, manager of the sheep and goat sales at Tofield Auction, said it is not unheard of for sheep to die in transit.
The Tofield auction gives every buyer the option to purchase livestock insurance before the animals leave the auction yard.
“They can buy insurance or take their chances,” said Buswell, who estimates only one in 10 buyers takes insurance.
“It’s not expensive, but they figure they’ve spent enough.”
Insurance is automatically added to loads leaving Tofield Auction for out of province.
The Hartford insurance offered on sheep and goats at the auction market costs 40 cents per $100 of value. Insurance for Peeters’ load of $136,500 worth of sheep would cost about $546.
