I read with interest a letter from Jennifer Godschall Johnson from Hampshire about fracking that was published on your letters page.

She voices her concerns over the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) being the first insurer to refuse to cover claims against fracking, particularly that properties affected by the activity wouldn’t be covered.

I work for NFU Mutual – the UK’s leading rural insurer – so I thought it may be of interest to you and your readers if we clarified our position and cover with regards to fracking, as we are often confused with the Farming Union, given our close affiliation with the farming community, NFU Mutual’s farm business policy includes environmental liability cover which protects policyholders in the event of third party claims for damage resulting from agricultural activities such as growing crops.

As oil and gas production – including fracking – is not a farming activity, we have included wording on our farm business policy to tell policyholders that their farm environmental liability insurance would not cover damage to other people’s property which they had caused by fracking or other oil and gas exploration or production.

This does not in any way affect our insurance which protects people’s homes and business properties for damage caused by events including earthquake and subsidence.

People who insure their homes and businesses with us and are not commercially involved with fracking on their land are protected in the event of an earthquake or subsidence damaging their buildings.

LISA-MARIE NELSON, Media relations manager, NFU Mutual.