Farming Connect Privacy Notice
Introduction/Background
Farming Connect aims to deliver an innovative programme to support the farming industry in delivering greater sustainability, improved competitiveness and improved environmental performance for farming businesses in line with sustainable land management objectives. The programme aims to foster knowledge transfer and innovation in agriculture and rural areas.
In order to receive support from Farming Connect, you will need to provide us with some personal data. The data collected will be used for the purpose of processing and determining your Farming Connect eligibility and applications for services, programme monitoring and reporting and recording continuous personal development. Participation in the Farming Connect programme is at your own discretion.
Welsh Government will be the Data Controller for the personal data you provide to the Farming Connect programme.
The Data Processors are Menter a Busnes and Lantra Wales, who are third party contractors, delivering the Farming Connect programme on behalf of Welsh Government.
What is the lawful basis for processing?
The lawful basis for processing the personal data collected is that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the exercise of official authority vested in the Welsh Government.
What personal information do we need to process?
We will require your full name, address, email address and contact number to process your registration/application.
Why do we need to process your personal data?
The data collected will be used for the purpose of processing to record and report the participant activity through the programme:
- Registration form for eligibility
- Application forms for service approval
- Continuous Personal Development - Storfa Sgiliau
- Programme monitoring and reporting.
From time-to-time, Welsh Government will appoint evaluators and researchers to help us assess the performance of the Farming Connect programme. To do this effectively, Welsh Government will share personal data securely with these contractors to allow them to undertake interviews or surveys of current and former participants as part of these formal evaluations. You may be contacted and asked to take part in an evaluation of your personal experience of a learning activity. If you are contacted, the purpose of the interview or survey will be explained to you and you will be given the option to say yes or no to taking part. Contractors will use your details only for the purpose of carrying out the evaluation and in accordance with UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Your details will then be deleted once the evaluation contract is complete.
Farming Connect will also use your contact information to send you the Farming Connect newsletter or to let you know about services or events that we think you will be interested in as a Farming Connect customer. If you wish to unsubscribe from the newsletter, please email cyswlltffermio@menterabusnes.co.uk
How long will we keep your personal information?
We will hold your personal information in relation to the registration/application for 7 years, after which time we will ensure that it is securely disposed of in line with the Welsh Government Retention & Disposal Policy.
The Farming Connect programme is due to be reviewed in 2025. If it is replaced by another Welsh Government programme that delivers support services to the farming industry, we will continue to process your personal data in the way established in this Privacy Notice (where it is appropriate to do so) to enable us to continue to support you and your business.
Will your personal information be shared?
The personal data will be shared with organisations contracted by Welsh Government to solely deliver the Farming Connect programme which are:
- Menter a Busnes
- Lantra Wales
- Selected contractors and sub-contractors of Menter a Busnes and Lantra Wales.
The personal data will be accessible by audit teams, Welsh Government internal audit and Welsh Audit Office; the information will only be used to verify the administration of the Farming Connect programme.
The personal data will be shared with the following agencies:
- Natural Resources Wales
- APHA
- Veterinary Medicine Directorate
- 22 Welsh local authorities
- Food Standard Agency Wales
- DEFRA and other UK Government agriculture offices
- Other Welsh Government departments
Information may be shared with the above agencies for the following reasons:
- Identification of landowners/users in events of emergencies e.g. disease control and breach control;
- Protecting applicants’ interest in land conservation and issues that may arise due to funding queries;
- Allowing partner organisations to fulfil their legal duties.
The personal data will be accessible to Welsh Government Knowledge and Analytical Services (KAS) for research, statistical analysis (from which individuals cannot be identified), equal opportunities monitoring and completion of reports of aggregated data to be made publicly available via the Welsh Government internet pages.
We will share information with other Welsh Government departments to support any applications you make under other support mechanisms.
Your rights:
Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:
- To access a copy of your own data;
- For us to rectify inaccuracies in that data;
- To object to or restrict processing (in certain circumstances);
- For your data to be ‘erased’ (in certain circumstances); and
- To lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.
Contact Information
The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office Wales are:
Information Commissioner’s Office – Wales, 2nd Floor, Churchill House, Churchill Way, Cardiff CF10 2HH. Phone 0330 414 6421. Email: wales@ico.org.uk Website: www.ico.gov.uk
Menter a Busnes and Lantra Wales on behalf of Welsh Government is processing the registration/application. For further information on how Menter a Busnes and Lantra Wales process your data, you can contact them directly:
Menter a Busnes Lantra Wales
Uned 3 Royal Welsh Showground
Parc Gwyddoniaeth Llanelwedd
Aberystwyth Builth Wells
Ceredigion Powys
SY23 3AH LD2 3WY
If you have any questions relating to this privacy notice or about how Welsh Government handle your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer:
Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ