Rural Protect & Rural Protect Elements
Management Liability insurance specifically designed for a variety of rural businesses and smallholders.
How can Rural Protect help you and your business?
Rural Protect is a bespoke legal protection solution specifically designed for farmers, agricultural business owners and managers, suitable for sole traders, partnerships and limited businesses.
Rural businesses face an ever-increasing risk of civil or regulatory legal action; there has arguably never been a greater need for insurance cover to protect against the legal fees and related costs incurred responding to regulatory investigations, internal disputes, administrative and contract issues and the like.
In short, Rural Protect is a comprehensive legal defence and pursuit product often referred to as management liability insurance. It responds to a plethora of legal issues that can affect the day-to-day running of your rural business. It can save you time and money in the event of a claim and is an effective solution to manage your legal risks.
Some of the key benefits of Rural Protect
Professional fees covered
Rural Protect provides cover for professional fees incurred in defending allegations made against you or your employees. This extends beyond owners and directors to include all staff within your business. For example, the policy will pay legal fees for expert representation from leading law firm rradar, ensuring you have specialist support if you need to defend an allegation.
No prospect of success clause
Rural Protect does not apply a 'prospect of success' clause on defence claims, whereas many of these policies will. The clause means that cover will only kick in if you have a 51% chance or more of winning your case, as determined by the legal representation provided under the policy. However, with Rural Protect, you will benefit from legal support on any valid defence claim – regardless of your estimated chances of success.
Each and every claim basis
Rural Protect applies its limit of cover to each individual claim, rather than across the entire policy year. This means your full limit remains available for every valid claim made, helping to preserve the level of protection your business needs throughout the year. You won’t see your total cover gradually reduced by multiple smaller claims, providing consistent protection when it is needed.
Pursuit cover
Rural Protect doesn’t just help you defend against allegations; it can also allow you to take action when someone else has wronged you. Pursuit Cover enables you to bring legal proceedings against a third party, such as for an unfulfilled contract or unpaid invoice. While this section of the policy is subject to a “prospect of success” clause, it provides valuable support for businesses seeking to enforce their rights.
Fee for intervention (FFI)
The Fee for Intervention (FFI) charged by the Health & Safety Executive and the Environment Agency is covered under the Rural Protect Policy. This is a unique feature and one that is unlikely to be covered under any Employers' Liability or Public Liability insurance that you purchase for your business. These regulators will charge a fee if they have to attend your premises, either routinely or following an incident and it quickly adds up depending on the time they take.
Fraud cover
Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated fraudulent methods to target farmers and the rural sector, with a large amount of money, data and assets at risk. This area of the policy can provide cover for financial losses suffered due to fraud; for example, through falsified invoices, stolen card details used to purchase goods from you and online scams, where you are duped into buying goods that don't actually exist.
Rural Protect Elements - for smaller rural businesses
Rural Protect Elements is a streamlined version of Rural Protect – appropriate for smaller rural businesses and smallholders. Rural Protect Elements is designed to help those who may not require the full breadth of cover available through Rural Protect (outlined above), whilst still offering a high level of support, helping prevent you from paying for cover you may not need.
Rural Protect Elements supports businesses facing challenges from regulatory bodies, administrative and legal issues, whether they be a limited company, partnership or sole trader. You can find out about the differences between Rural Protect and Rural Protect Elements below.
How does Rural Protect Elements differ to Rural Protect?
Below, we outline some of the key differences in the cover provided by Rural Protect Elements and Rural Protect.
Who is it for?
Rural Protect Elements can cater for businesses with up to £100,000 per annum turnover. Above this, Rural Protect would be able to assist, catering for businesses with up to £25,000,000 per annum turnover.
Indemnity limits
Rural Protect Elements provides indemnity up to £75,000, whilst Rural Protect provides between £125,000 to £5,000,000, depending on requirements. When it comes to Pursuit Cover, Rural Protect Elements will provide up to £50,000 indemnity (on an aggregate basis) whereas Rural Protect provides up to £100,000.
Fraud cover
Rural Protect Elements provides up to £5,000 when it comes to cover for Fraud whereas Rural Protect provides up to £10,000 with the option to increase up to £100,000 (at additional cost).
Fee for intervention
Whilst Rural Protect will provide cover for the fee for intervention from the Health & Safety Executive, as well as Pension, Civil and Environmental Agencies, Rural Protect Elements only pays for fees for intervention from the Health & Safety Executive.
Debt recovery
One of the more obvious areas of difference between Rural Protect and Rural Protect Elements; under Rural Protect, you can pursue debt recovery for amounts exceeding £5,000.
However, with Rural Protect Elements, you have access to a portal that will issue a solicitor’s demand with draft claims court documents, enabling you to start recovering your debts before they become an issue. You will receive one complimentary submission of an active debt with Rural Protect Elements, with the option to pay as you go thereafter.
Ready to protect your rural business?
Common Risks Faced by Rural Businesses
Running a rural business today means navigating an increasingly complex landscape of legal, financial, and operational risks. Beyond the everyday challenges of farming and estate management, rural enterprises face heightened scrutiny from regulatory bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive, DEFRA and the Environment Agency. Employment disputes are also becoming more common, particularly where seasonal or family labour is involved, and contract disagreements with suppliers or contractors can quickly escalate into costly legal battles.
In addition, fraud and cybercrime are now significant threats in the rural sector, with criminals using sophisticated methods to target businesses through false invoices, payment scams and online deception. Environmental and pollution-related claims can also have lasting financial and reputational consequences.
Rural Protect is designed to help manage these risks effectively, offering comprehensive legal protection and financial support that allows you to focus on running your business with confidence.
rradar – Expert Legal and Risk Management Support
As part of your Rural Protect or Rural Protect Elements policy, you will have access to rradar, a specialist legal and risk management firm who work to support rural businesses of all sizes under the Rural Protect policy. rradar’s expert team help with employment law, HR, health and safety, contracts, and regulatory compliance, helping to give you peace of mind that professional advice is always on hand.
Through rradar station, you will have 24/7 access to a wealth of practical resources, including legal templates, guidance notes, and step-by-step tools to help you manage risk and stay compliant. Whether you need to check a contract, handle an HR query, or keep up with changing legislation, rradar makes expert knowledge easy to access and understand.
This service is included at no extra cost as part of your Rural Protect and Rural Protect Elements policy, providing valuable support that helps prevent problems before they arise and ensures you’re prepared if they do.
Why work with McClarrons?
Our rural insurance specialists at McClarrons actually founded the Rural Protect policy in response to dissatisfaction and a clear gap in the market: traditional Management Liability insurance often failed to meet the needs of rural businesses, particularly as it was unavailable to partnerships and sole traders. Rural Protect was designed to bridge that gap, providing comprehensive legal and management liability protection specifically tailored to the realities of farming, agriculture, and rural enterprise.
With decades of experience supporting rural businesses, we know that legal and regulatory challenges can arise when least expected. Our deep understanding of how Rural Protect operates, from its cover extensions and exclusions to its claims process, means we can help guide you through every aspect of your protection.
Rural Protect & Rural Protect Elements Claims
Should you ever find yourself dealing with a claim or investigation under Rural Protect or Rural Protect Elements, our in-house Claims Team is here to act in your best interests. These policies are designed to respond to complex risks, and having a knowledgeable team by your side can be essential.
We have extensive experience supporting clients through sensitive and high-value claims, working closely with insurers, solicitors and loss adjusters to help achieve fair and efficient outcomes. Our team understands how to interpret policy wordings and present claims clearly, ensuring the cover works as intended when you need it most. We aim to reduce uncertainty, protect your position and guide you through the process with clarity and confidence.
Contact us to talk about Rural Protect
You can start your enquiry by filling in the contact form and one of our specialists will be in touch.
Rural Protect & Rural Protect Elements FAQs
What is Rural Protect?
Rural Protect is a specialist management liability and legal protection policy created specifically for farmers, agricultural business owners, and rural enterprises. It provides cover for legal defence, investigations, internal disputes, and more – helping you manage the legal and financial risks that come with running a business.
How can Rural Protect help my business day-to-day?
Rural Protect offers practical protection against legal challenges, including employment disputes, regulatory investigations, and contract issues. The policy covers professional legal fees and gives you access to expert legal support through rradar, so you can get the right advice before small issues become major problems.
What is the difference between Rural Protect and Rural Protect Elements?
Rural Protect Elements is designed for smaller rural businesses and smallholders with up to £100,000 annual turnover. It offers streamlined cover with lower indemnity limits, while the full Rural Protect policy provides higher levels of cover for larger businesses – up to £25 million in turnover. See above for a more thorough explanation of the differences.
What types of legal situations does Rural Protect cover?
Rural Protect covers a wide range of legal issues including employment law, health and safety investigations, environmental and regulatory matters, contract disputes, and fraud. It also includes Pursuit Cover, which helps you take action when another party has wronged you, for example, in the instance of unpaid invoices or a breach of contract.
What is rradar and how can it support me?
rradar is a specialist legal and risk management firm available to Rural Protect and Rural Protect Elements policyholders. It provides expert advice on employment law, health & safety, contracts, and compliance. You’ll also gain access to rradarstation, an online platform with guides, templates, and tools to help you manage risk proactively.
Why should I arrange my policy through McClarrons?
McClarrons founded the Rural Protect policy and as such, have an unrivalled understanding of how it works and what it covers. Our dedicated rural team and in-house Claims specialists ensure you receive expert guidance, support, and a policy that can help protect your business when you need it most.
Rural Protect not what you were looking for?
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