Guidance

Gamebird licensing: privacy notice

Published 1 March 2024

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

This privacy notice explains how Defra will deal with your personal data when processing your gamebird licence application and undertaking its licensing functions.

Who collects your personal data

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the controller for the personal data we collect:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

If you need further information about how Defra uses your personal data and your associated rights you can contact the Defra data protection manager at data.protection@defra.gov.uk or at the above address.

The data protection officer for Defra is responsible for checking that Defra complies with legislation. You can contact them at DefraGroupDataProtectionOfficer@defra.gov.uk or at the above address.

What personal data we collect and how it is used

Defra will use the information on the licence application form and any supporting materials to undertake its licensing functions. This will include, but is not limited to:

• assessing your application
• issuing a licence if applicable
• monitoring compliance with licence conditions
• collating licence returns and reports

The personal information Defra processes will include, but is not limited to:

• your name
• contact details
• customer type
• reasons for wanting a licence

Lawful basis for processing your personal data

The lawful basis for processing your personal data is the exercise of a function conferred on the Secretary State under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Consent to process your personal data

The processing of your personal data is not based on consent. You cannot withdraw it.

Who we share your personal data with

Defra may share your information with third parties:

• at certain stages of the licensing process
• for particular licence applications

Defra may do this to:

• check information you provide on a licence application
• discuss your application with a third party that’s supporting the application
• get or check specialist or technical information about an application
• monitor effects on protected species

Defra will only share information when necessary and anonymously whenever possible.

The table shows the organisations Defra shares information with and the species, activities and purposes it does this for.

Organisation	Species	Activity	Sharing purpose
Statutory nature conservation bodies (Environment Agency, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Northern Ireland and Scottish Natural Heritage)	Various	Various	Compliance, enforcement, licence assessment
Defra and its executive agencies (such as the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and Rural Payments Agency)	Various	Various	Compliance, enforcement, licence assessment
Devolved administrations (Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government, Welsh Government)	Various	Various	Compliance, enforcement, licence assessment
Marine Management Organisation	Marine	Various	Compliance, enforcement, licence assessment
Police	Various	Various	Compliance, enforcement activity
Local planning authorities	Various	Development licences	Compliance, enforcement, licence assessment
Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT)	Birds	Gamebird management and species advice	Application support, compliance, species protection
RSPB	Birds	Species advice	Application support, species protection
British Trust for Ornithology	Birds	Species Advice	Compliance, enforcement, licence assessment, species protection
Industry and charitable bodies (such as the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, Wildlife Trusts, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and National Gamekeepers Organisation)	Various	Various	Application support, licence assessment
Experts and academics	Various	Various	Application support, licence assessment

Defra may make some information available where there’s public interest in wildlife licensing and who it issued a licence to. Information released may include, but is not limited to:

• your name or business name
• application and licence details
• licence reports and returns

Defra will not release information for licensed activities that are sensitive or could harm people, species or habitats, for example names and addresses of individuals, locations of licensed activities.

Defra respects your personal privacy when responding to access to information requests. We only share information when necessary to meet the statutory requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

How long Defra holds personal data

Defra will keep your personal data for 7 years after the expiry of your licence or longer if stated in the licence conditions.

What happens if you do not provide the personal data

If you do not provide the personal data Defra will be unable to assess your application for a wildlife licence.

Use of automated decision-making or profiling

The personal data you provide is not used for:

• automated decision making (making a decision by automated means without any human involvement)
• profiling (automated processing of personal data to evaluate certain things about an individual)

Transfer of your personal data outside of the UK

Defra will only transfer your personal data to another country that is deemed adequate for data protection purposes.

Your rights

Based on the lawful processing above, your individual rights are:

• the right to be informed
• the right of access
• the right to rectification
• rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling
• the right to object

Find out about your individual rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).

Complaints

You have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office at any time.

Defra’s personal information charter

Defra’s personal information charter explains more about your rights over your personal data.