Privacy Notice

The Farming Advice Service is delivered by Ricardo Energy & Environment on behalf of Defra.

The data controller for The Farming Advice Service is Defra. A data controller determines how and why personal data is processed.

Privacy Statement for the FAS website and newsletter

Privacy Statement for the FAS helpline

Privacy Statement for the FAS website and newsletter

What data we need

The personal data we collect from you includes:

• questions, queries or feedback you leave, including your email address and phone number if you contact the Farming Advice Service
• your email address and subscription preferences when you sign up to our newsletter and email alerts
• how you use our emails - for example whether you open them and which links you click on
• your Internet Protocol (IP) address, and details of which version of web browser you used
• information on how you use the site, using cookies and page tagging techniques

The legal basis for processing this data is to perform a task in the public interest that is set out in law and is statute based.

Why we need it

We use Google Analytics software to collect information about how you use the Farming Advice Service. We do this to help make sure the site is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements, for example improving site search.

Google Analytics stores information about:

• the pages you visit on www.farmingadviceservice.org.uk/events/events/
• how long you spend on each www.farmingadviceservice.org.uk/events/events/page
• how you got to the site
• what you click on while you’re visiting the site

We do not collect or store your personal information (for example your name or address) so this information cannot be used to identify who you are.

We also collect data in order to:

• improve the site by monitoring how you use it
• gather feedback to improve our services, for example our email alerts
• respond to any feedback you send us, if you’ve asked us to
• send email alerts to users who request them

What we do with your data

We will not:

• sell or rent your data to third parties;
• share your data with third parties for marketing purposes

We will share your data if we are required to do so by law – for example, by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crime.

How long we keep your data

We will only retain your personal data for as long as:

• it is needed for the purposes set out in this document
• the law requires us to

In general, this means that we will only hold your personal data for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 7 years.

Where your data is processed and stored

We design, build and run our systems to make sure that your data is as safe as possible at any stage, both while it’s processed and when it’s stored.

Your personal data will not be transferred outside of the European Economic Area (EEA).

How we protect your data and keep it secure

We are committed to doing all that we can to keep your data secure. We have set up systems and processes to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure of your data – for example, we protect your data using varying levels of encryption.

We also make sure that any third parties that we deal with keep all personal data they process on our behalf secure.

Your rights

You have the right to request:

• information about how your personal data is processed
• a copy of that personal data
• that anything inaccurate in your personal data is corrected immediately

You can also:

• raise an objection about how your personal data is processed
• request that your personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it
• ask that the processing of your personal data is restricted in certain circumstances

If you have any of these requests, get in contact with our Data Protection Officer.

Links to other websites

Following a link to another website

If you go to another website from this one, read the privacy policy on that website to find out what it does with your information.

Changes to this policy

We may change this privacy policy. In that case, the ‘last updated’ date at the bottom of this page will also change. Any changes to this privacy policy will apply to you and your data immediately.

If these changes affect how your personal data is processed, we will take reasonable steps to let you know.

Contact us or make a complaint

Contact the Data Protection Officer (DPO) if you:

• have any questions about anything in this document
• think that your personal data has been misused or mishandled

Data Protection Officer
advice@farmingadviceservice.org.uk

You can also make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator.

casework@ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Textphone: 01625 545860
Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm
Find out about call charges

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF

Privacy Statement for the FAS helpline

Purpose

To provide explanations for callers about what information we collect, what we do with it and who it might be shared with.

1. What information do we collect from you

We will collect you name, farm name, postcode, email address and telephone number along with details of the question/s you are contacting us about.

2. Why do we collect this information

To ensure that we have a full history of advice provided under the FAS, we ask for your name, farm name and postcode to record details of the enquiry against. This is for quality assurance purposes and so that Defra can calculate the amount of RDPE funding each FAS customer has received.

If you require additional technical support, we ask for your telephone number so that we can arrange for an adviser to call you back.

To provide you with advice about the question you have called us about, we will need to understand more about the situation, so may ask you for further information about the scenario you are describing.

Feedback that is provided via the event evaluation form or from contact with the helpline to allow us to continually improve the service offered on behalf of Defra.

Your subscription preferences when you sign up to our newsletter and email alerts.

3. Who will we share your information with

If you require additional technical support from one of our expert farm advisers, we will share your name and telephone number to allow them to contact you.

We do not share your information with any other third parties.

4. What do we do with your information

Your information is only gathered and held for dealing with the call that you have placed to us and any reasonable follow up that is required to complete your enquiry.

We do not use your information for any marketing purposes.

5. How long do we keep your information

We will retain information gathered from calls for a minimum of 7 years as specified in the contract held with Defra. After the period has passed, the information will be reviewed and personal information will be deleted.

6. Where you can find further information about how your data is processed

Defra, as Data Controller, hold a privacy statement on their website which will provide details of how they deal with personal information. For further details about how we are processing your data, please visit our website – www.farmingadviceservice.org.uk/events