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Privacy notice for Forestry Commission notice of landing forms

Updated 5 September 2025

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notice-of-landing-form/privacy-notice-for-forestry-commission-notice-of-landing-forms

This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information on receipt of the notice of landing form.

The Forestry Commission is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information.

This privacy notice covers the following:

  • when you provide your personal information to the Forestry Commission using the Notification of Landing form
  • documentary checks and/or inspecting of imported regulated (controlled) timber, wood products and bark (wood material) in England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain)
  • for cleared inspections, the issue of a Quarantine Release Certificate (also known as a PHF28 form)
  • for failed inspections, proceeding with statutory action to address the reason for failure

The notice describes how we collect and use personal information about you in accordance with data protection law, which includes the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018.

The Forestry Commission is registered as a data controller under the Data Protection Act (Registration No. Z6542658).

1. Purpose  

The collection, processing and storage of personal data enables the Forestry Commission to carry out document checks and physical inspections of consignments of regulated wood, and issue Quarantine Release Certificates. It also enables us to pursue statutory action on non-compliant consignments.

2. Lawful basis 

We will process your data under Public Task, as a lawful basis drawn from Article 6 of the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR).

3. Your data 

3.1 What personal data we process 

Personal data is data which identifies an individual directly or indirectly, by reference to an identifier such as a name. The information we collect and process includes contact name, telephone number, signature and address details. Further data which could constitute personal data is also collected when you complete and submit the Notification of Landing form; as this is part of the same documentation and will be handled together, all will be treated as personal data.   

3.2 Where your personal data is stored 

We are committed to doing all we can to keep your data secure while we process it. Your data will be stored in secure Forestry Commission IT systems in the UK.

3.3 How long we keep your personal data 

We will only retain your personal data for as long as it is needed for the purposes set out in this document, or for as long as the law requires us to. We will:

  • process your data until the consignment is cleared (i.e., the date of issue of a Quarantine Release Certificate)
  • and, thereafter, keep your data for seven years, after which it will be securely destroyed

We may retain your data for up to 12 years if a consignment fails its inspection check and statutory action is pursued.

3.4 When we share your data 

We will share your data with contracted inspectors who may complete the following actions on behalf of the Forestry Commission:

  • check the documentation provided by the importer (including the correctly completed Notification of Landing form and relevant Phytosanitary Certificates)
  • arrange the necessary physical inspections
  • provide a Quarantine Release Certificate to the importer for cleared inspections

Contract inspectors working on our behalf are bound by contract terms, and a data sharing agreement which specifies which data will be shared and how they are permitted to use it.

We will also share your data within the Forestry Commission to pursue statutory action if a consignment is found to be non-compliant.

We may also share your data with other border agencies.

4. Your rights 

More information on how we treat personal data, including information on your rights is available in the Forestry Commission’s Personal Information Charter. 

4. Get in touch 

If you have questions about the data we hold or concerns, contact the Forestry Commission’s Data Protection Officer: dataprotection@forestrycommission.gov.uk  

The Information Commissioner’s Office prefers complaints to be directed to the organisation and its DPO in the first instance.  

However, if you are unhappy with the outcome following contact with Forestry Commission’s DPO, you can email casework@ico.org.uk or write to: 

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

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