South-western and western France are still struggling with the massive impact of ‘Nils’. On 12 February 2026, the storm swept across the country with wind gusts of over 150 km/h in some places and extreme rainfall, causing flooding in many areas. It left behind considerable damage, which also affected numerous horticultural businesses. Gartenbau-Versicherung immediately increased its personnel capacity on site in order to provide the best possible support to its member businesses.
In view of the devastation in large areas of the country, the specialist insurer for the green sector and its French policyholders are facing major challenges. Some businesses are still inaccessible, while the damage to others has already been assessed. ‘We were on site as quickly as possible and are deploying more staff in the affected areas. However, it will still take some time before all the damage has been recorded and settled. We would like to thank our team on site and also the repair companies, who are even working at weekends to assess the damage and initiate repairs wherever possible,’ reports Alexandre Druhen, Head of the France Department.
However, due to the massive damage to infrastructure in the affected areas, there is a shortage of materials in many areas. In addition, some of the usual transport routes are still severely disrupted, which is hampering rapid repairs. ‘We cannot yet put a figure on the damage, but it is enormous,’ explains Alexandre Druhen.
Gartenbau-Versicherung’s top priority is to help the affected businesses as quickly as possible, despite all the adversity, to settle the claims and support the businesses in restoring their livelihoods. Advance payments are also planned to ensure that the businesses remain operational. After relatively few claims in France in recent years, our neighbouring country has now been hit extremely hard. ‘We feel a great sense of solidarity with our French members,’ emphasises Christian Senft, CEO of Gartenbau-Versicherung. ‘We will do everything in our power to help them through this difficult time. We are on the ground and working closely with the businesses to ensure that they receive the support they urgently need.’
We are there for you.
Our insurance solutions are characterized by their modular structure.
This allows us to offer you comprehensive insurance cover that is individually tailored to your business.
Find out more now at https://Gartenbau-Versicherung.de/sicherheit/ or contact your local risk consultant.
