Guidance

Registration of livestock keepers privacy notice

Updated 19 March 2024

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Your data is being collected by

The data controller is the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) for personal data that you give to APHA.

APHA is an Executive Agency of Defra.  You can contact APHA’s Data Protection Manager by email at: data.protection@defra.gov.uk.

APHA also works with the Scottish Government and Welsh Government, who are joint controllers with APHA for any relevant personal data.

Any questions about how Defra/APHA is using your personal data and your associated rights should be sent to the above contact.

The Data Protection Officer responsible for monitoring that Defra/APHA is meeting the requirements of the legislation can be contacted by email at: DefraGroupDataProtectionOfficer@defra.gov.uk.

What personal data is collected

We collect the following items of personal data:

• your name
• your address
• your contact details

We also collect:

• details of your chosen veterinary practice
• details of land used on a temporary basis
• the landowner’s name and CPH number

Why APHA is using your data

APHA has a statutory duty to register:

• personal details of the owner/keepers of various species of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, deer and poultry)
• details of the type of animal production system
• details of holdings they are kept at

Some operating practices require approval or licensing from APHA. In some cases, where APHA carries out charging or billing, financial data may also be held.

These data underpin a wider government duty to support the registration of individual animals and the reporting of movements, according to the species.

APHA also registers herds flocks and individuals of other species, when necessary.

Data for all species are collected and stored to support APHA’s cross-cutting functions to:

• promote the reduction of risk to animal health and welfare
• monitor for those statuses
• take action to control these when necessary
• inform policy-making

Information you provide could be used to determine:

• eligibility for future market support schemes (for example, financial aid or other benefits), if implemented
• the amount and type of support you receive

If you do not submit your annual inventory, please be aware that you may be excluded from future market support schemes.

Where required to by law, data may be published on UK government or EU websites. Data may also be used for research purposes when compliant with UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

Find more information about APHA.

The legal basis for processing your data

Legal basis for processing includes:

• the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller
• for compliance to a legal obligation on the controller

Consequences of not providing the necessary data

For statutory and public interest purposes it is necessary to provide data as stated in the relevant legislation.

Find the current list of legislation managing these diseases.

Personal data used for automated decision-making

The information you provide is not connected with individual decision making. This means a decision made solely by automated means, without any human involvement.

Personal data used for automated ‘profiling’ and the consequences of this

The information you provide is not connected with profiling, in other words automated processing of personal data to evaluate certain things about an individual.

Who APHA shares your data with

Personal data may be made available to local authorities and other public bodies in the UK and EU to meet legal requirements and regulatory and enforcement functions.

We may share data with Defra and its agencies, Welsh Government, Scottish Government, Northern Ireland Executive, Food Standards Agency and other official organisations and enforcement authorities.

We may share data with other organisations working for us to enable us to carry out our duties.

We may have to release information (including personal data and commercial information) under the following legislation:

• UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
• Data Protection Act 2018
• Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Environmental Information Regulations 2004

We will not allow any unwarranted breach of confidentiality and we will not act in contravention of our obligations under UK data protection legislation.

Storing and using personal data outside the UK

A very small percentage of government records containing personal information are selected for permanent preservation at the National Archives. They are made available in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, as amended by the Data Protection Act 2018.

The data you provide will largely not be transferred outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). On rare occasions, when it is lawful and complementary to our work carried out in the public interest, research data may be transferred securely outside of the EEA.

How long APHA holds personal data for

Retention periods are set by considering statutory, regulatory, legal and security reasons, alongside historic value.

All information in APHA is held in accordance with our retention policy.

If you would like more information please contact enquiries@apha.gov.uk.

Your rights

Find out about your rights under data protection law.

Complaints

You have the right to lodge a complaint about the use of your personal data at any time with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO – the data protection supervisory authority).

APHA’s personal information charter

APHA’s personal information charter broadly sets out details of APHA’s processing of personal data.