investment in nfu sub paid off big time

Thick Farmer

Member
Location
West Wales
The Wakleys were assisted by their insurers and NFU mutual - that's what it says in the article.

I take that to mean that their insurers were not NFU mutual.

Even so, I'm glad that the outcome was in their favour. It sounds like they deserved it. (y)
 

Flyer

Member
Location
New Forest
thats not what the website says - its say they pay a MAXIMUM of £5000 from the £33 legal assistance scheme

It's exactly what the website says:
Financial support towards professional fees* up to £5,000. Additional funding may be available from the National Legal Board in exceptional cases
Normally the limit would be 5k (which covers the majority of the cases the Union are involved in.)
However, in some cases the Union will go way over the 5k 'limit' if the situation warrants it.

This point is conveyed on the website through the followings words;
Additional funding may be available from the National Legal Board in exceptional cases

I'm not sure how else I can explain it?
 

Flyer

Member
Location
New Forest
The Wakleys were assisted by their insurers and NFU mutual - that's what it says in the article.

I take that to mean that their insurers were not NFU mutual.

Even so, I'm glad that the outcome was in their favour. It sounds like they deserved it. (y)

No where in the article does it say that? It doesn't state who their insurers were.
The Crown Estate started possession proceedings, which the Wakleys were able to defend only with assistance from their insurers and the NFU Legal Assistance Scheme.

Are you and @Clive reading a different article to the rest of us?
 

chipchap

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Shropshire
Personally, I would not pay for insurance to cover £5000 of legal fees with the hope that the insurer might in exceptional circumstances pay out more, if they feel like it.
I dare say the NFU is a great organisation in many respects, but the blinkered loyalty shown to it from some quarters seems extraordinary.
 

Penmoel

Member
Personally, I would not pay for insurance to cover £5000 of legal fees with the hope that the insurer might in exceptional circumstances pay out more, if they feel like it.
I dare say the NFU is a great organisation in many respects, but the blinkered loyalty shown to it from some quarters seems extraordinary.

For your £33 you get the basic upto £5000 cover. What does not seem to be being grasped here is that the NFU Legal Assistance scheme is not an insurer, it is a fund set up and administered by the NFU Legal Assistance Board which provides the basic up to £5000 cover, with the option available to the board to provide substantially much more cover particularly if the case may set some sort of precedent.

If you want £1m legal fees insurance cover, I would suggest you go and speak to a Legal expenses insurance provider.

We are member of the legal assistance scheme, but also have legal expenses cover on vehicle insurances policy and on the business policy, makes sense this day and age.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
It's exactly what the website says:

Normally the limit would be 5k (which covers the majority of the cases the Union are involved in.)
However, in some cases the Union will go way over the 5k 'limit' if the situation warrants it.

This point is conveyed on the website through the followings words;


I'm not sure how else I can explain it?

The article mentions nothing about this case being exceptional circumstance awarded a higher than maximum payout by the legal assistance scheme, it does say that the farmers insurers paid out - There is a VERY important difference there that you seem unable to accept

It didn't even say if the insurer was the mutual or not. Would be interesting to know that but mutual or not seems good insurance saved the farmers bacon and they paid out as obliged to whoever it was

The fact the legal assistance scheme is "discretionary" means they don't have to pay out a penney of the £5000 maximum and don't even have to give a consistent reason when they don't.

Not a great deal imo even at £33 . You can buy proper legal cover from many other brokers with MUCH higher limits for not much more that are not discretionary, thankfully it sounds like this farmer also had such a policy

Anyone running a business would be well advised to take out such cover, it's not expensive but could save you a lot potentially


Credit to the lawyers and barristers and the insurance co (whoever that may be) for paying out here and NOT the NFU IMO
 
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___\0/___

Member
Location
SW Scotland
I am guessing the NFU Legal Assistance Scheme would not have got mentioned if they had did feck all. Apart from the money they can do lots of other things, if that lasted over three years then slot of work would have went in.
 

Penmoel

Member
I am afraid Dr Evil has just about summed it up correctly. You have no wish to see that the legal assistance scheme was of any use either in this instance or any other.

It may be that the first conversation this guy had was with his group secretary who then refferred him to the legal help which then gave the confidence to take the matter on further, obviously if the guy had a proper legal insurance policy it would be passed on to them to deal with as a valid claim.

Had they not done so no doubt Clive would be screaming that the legal assistance scheme was squandering members money about,!!

Many businesses have legal expenses cover bolted onto various policies, many would also be unaware that they had such cover or the extent of it.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
I am guessing the NFU Legal Assistance Scheme would not have got mentioned if they had did feck all. Apart from the money they can do lots of other things, if that lasted over three years then slot of work would have went in.

not saying the legal assistance scheme did feck all, I expect it paid out the £5000 that the £33 premium covered, assuming the discretionary discisson decide to do so

If they did more than that why not say so ion the article wich clear says that the farmers insurers covered the legal cost
 

___\0/___

Member
Location
SW Scotland
Probably because it is an article it isn't, doesn't want to or possibly need to say more.

I really wish the NFU could detail what they did here but suspect they can't.

As stated before on this forum the NFU are helping a group of us out at the moment and the things people they are dealing with I wouldn't even begin to want to takle.
We have had money from them but everything else that goes with it is worth a lot more.

It's a bit ironic but this forum regularly points people towards the NFU and Service's they did not know they could access.
 

Guy Smith

Member
Location
Essex
I've had a look at this at HQ this afternoon. The first thing our legal bods told me was I mustn't talk about the exact figures because of client confidentiality. That is very frustrating as it would stuff some of the ignorant anti-NFU drivel above back where the sun don't shine. But if I know one thing about NFU staff is they are very professional and I always respect their advice.

Suffice to say our LAS paid out far far more than £5000 and NFU legal staff played key roles at key times. It was a tough fought case. So congrstulations to them and well done the LAS board for their shrewd judgement.

What needs to be remembered here is when our LAS board and staff consider cases they look at its merits but, just as important, take into account what principles and precedents it might set. That way we all benefit, even those who don't contribute.
 
Location
Devon
Surely because the NFU/ the farmers won the case and the farmer got a large pay out Then the NFU/ the farmer will have been awarded a large % of their costs to be paid by the losing side??

What I think this thread shows is that the NFU is poor at getting across what benefits you get from membership of the NFU on issues like this.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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