FCA authorised · FRN 724952 0117 325 0027Quote & buy →
Mid-market insurance
Plant and nursery stock wholesaler insurance is a programme protecting growers' glasshouses, living stock, transit, staff and products. It matters because weather, temperature failure and plant health can destroy a season's stock.
Part of: Commercial insurance
In short
Plant and nursery stock wholesalers usually need property cover for glasshouses and buildings, growing stock cover, business interruption, transit or fleet, employers' liability and products liability, often with cyber and management liability. Stock in the open, frost and heating failure are commonly excluded or restricted unless specifically insured. Plant passports are required for plants for planting moving between professional operators and on distance sales, and labour providers in horticulture must hold a gangmaster licence. Seasonal peaks and new activities are the usual reasons to review the programme.
A grower or wholesaler of plants, cut flowers and nursery stock usually needs cover for glasshouses, polytunnels and buildings; growing and finished stock; plant and machinery such as heating, irrigation and potting lines; business interruption; goods in transit or fleet; employers' liability for permanent and seasonal staff; and public and products liability. Larger operations commonly add cyber, crime and management liability. These can sit in a commercial combined programme or alongside farm and agricultural cover where growing is part of a wider holding.
The difference from a standard warehouse risk is that the stock is alive. It can be killed by frost, heat, a boiler failure or a pest finding as well as by fire or storm, and many standard property wordings exclude or limit stock growing in the open. Getting that cover right is the core of a horticultural programme.
Points that commonly decide whether a loss is paid:
The DEFRA plant passport FAQ says plant passports are required for all plants for planting, including potted plants, turf and aquatic plants, and for some seeds and plant products. Passports are needed on movements and sales between professional operators, on movements of more than 10 miles between your own premises, and on distance sales (online, phone or mail order) down to the final user. Anyone issuing passports must be authorised, which in England and Wales is through APHA, and records of passported material must be kept for three years.
Under the GOV.UK plant health controls guidance, quarantine pests are subject to statutory control and a suspected finding must be reported to your local Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate office immediately. A finding can leave stock held, unsaleable or destroyed. Insurance for that kind of loss is limited and specialised, so traceability and biosecurity records matter both for compliance and for any liability claim from a customer whose stock was affected.
Seasonal labour brings its own rule. GOV.UK guidance on gangmaster licensing says the scheme covers agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering and associated processing and packaging, and that it is illegal to use an unlicensed gangmaster. Using licensed providers and checking their status supports both compliance and your employers' liability position.
| Exposure | Typical scenario | Cover that usually responds |
|---|---|---|
| Storm or snow damage to glass | Gale strips polythene and breaks glass panes in March | Property damage on buildings and structures, subject to age and condition terms |
| Loss of growing stock | Fire, storm or frost destroys spring-ready container stock | Growing stock cover for named perils; standard stock cover may not apply in the open |
| Heating or power failure | Boiler fails overnight in a cold snap | Stock extension for temperature failure; engineering and breakdown for the plant itself |
| Lost spring trading | Glasshouse range out of action during peak dispatch | Business interruption, with an indemnity period reflecting the growing cycle |
| Seasonal and permanent staff injury | Manual handling, machinery and vehicle injuries | Employers liability, at not less than £5 million per occurrence by law |
| Visitor and delivery injuries | Trade customer trips in a loading area | Public liability |
| Products sold | Plants carrying a pest damage a customer's stock, or a toxic plant is supplied without proper labelling | Products liability, subject to exclusions for pests, disease and contamination |
| Transit | Trolleys of stock damaged or chilled in delivery | Goods in transit or fleet cover; see our fleet guide |
| Ordering systems and payments | Retailer EDI or webshop down in peak season | Cyber |
| Directors and officers | Employment claim from a seasonal worker, or a regulatory investigation | Management liability |
These are illustrative scenarios, not real claims.
A heating control fails in February and the glasshouse temperature drops. The stock loss is only covered if temperature failure was added to the stock section, and the insurer will usually ask whether the low temperature alarm was working and who was on call.
A fire in the dispatch building in April stops a grower supplying retailers for the rest of the season. Retailers source elsewhere and some do not return the following year. A short indemnity period would end before trade recovers, which is why growers often choose longer periods.
A wholesaler that also designs planting schemes for landscapers is giving advice as well as selling plants. Products liability does not usually cover financial loss from poor advice, which is the territory of professional indemnity for horticultural consultants.
Growing businesses should arrange an insurance programme review when adding glasshouse area, opening a new site, starting distance selling, taking on a large retail supply contract, or changing how seasonal labour is sourced. Our agricultural insurance guide and indemnity period guide help with the detail.
Apex arranges insurance programmes for plant and nursery stock growers and wholesalers; a broker reads every enquiry.
Often not fully. Many standard property wordings exclude or restrict stock in the open. Container and field-grown nursery stock usually needs specific growing stock cover for named perils such as fire, storm and sometimes frost, with its own sums insured. Check your schedule and the stock definition.
DEFRA's plant passport guidance says businesses selling plants for planting at a distance, including online, must provide a passport down to the final user, even when that customer is buying for personal use. You need to be authorised to issue passports, which in England and Wales is through APHA.
It depends on the wording. Frost damage caused by a failure of heating, power or controls is commonly excluded unless a temperature failure extension is added. Where it is included, insurers often require low temperature alarms and an out-of-hours response.
If you use a labour provider in agriculture, horticulture or associated packing, GOV.UK guidance says the provider must hold a gangmaster licence and it is illegal to use an unlicensed one. Check the licence before work starts and keep a record.
Growers often need longer than 12 months, because losing one season can affect customer orders into the next and replacement stock takes time to grow. The right period depends on crop cycles and contracts, so model a realistic recovery with your broker.
Send us your current schedules or renewal pack and we will review the whole programme and tell you plainly what to keep and what to change. No fee and no obligation. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Book a programme review Get a quoteApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
