Privacy Policy

This is an old version of the page

Date published: 1 January, 2015

Date superseded: 11 February, 2016

You don’t have to register with us to access much of the information on Rural Payments and Services but some of our services do require you to have an account.

Any personal data collected through this website if you register or apply for funding – such as addresses, bank details, business details – is protected to ensure that it is not misused or accessed inappropriately.

We will only ever use this data in accordance with the law and the purposes we set out in the below terms and conditions.

We cannot accept any liability for problems caused by incorrect information that you or somebody acting for you supply us, so please be sure to double-check all information you submit.

We may at any time revise these terms and conditions without notice.

Please check these terms and conditions regularly, as continued use of the website after a change has been made is your acceptance of the change.

We will use information you provide to us to process any claims or applications you make.

We will also use your data for purposes connected with:

  • administration of the Common Agricultural Policy
  • administration of Scotland Rural Development Programme and other aid schemes
  • monitoring and regulating the production and safety of food
  • management of land and other environmental controls
  • animal health and welfare
  • plant health and bio-controls
  • occupational health and welfare
  • evaluation of the impact of scheme payments and to provide evidence and advice to support policy-making
  • assessment and improvement of our services to ensure that they are of high quality, efficient, and responsive to our customers’ needs

We will pass on your personal information if we have a legal obligation to do so, or if we have to enforce or apply our terms of use and other data sharing agreements.

We may also exchange information with other government departments for legal reasons.

In order to fulfil the objectives referred to below, we will share your personal information with the following organisations (including any successor bodies):

  • Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) for purposes connected with the Scotland Rural Development Programme and other environmental controls
  • Food Standards Scotland for purposes connected with the production and safety of food
  • Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) for management of land and other environmental controls
  • Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for purposes connected with animal health and welfare
  • research organisations for statistical and research purposes, including the collection of agricultural data under section 78 (as amended) of the Agriculture Act (1947) and to meet European Commission Statistical Regulations
  • organisations which audit the distribution of grants and subsidies in Scotland
  • other organisations, including Scotland’s Environmental and Rural Services (SEARS) partners, for the purpose of improving public service delivery

SEARS

We store your data on our secure servers in the UK. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this.

Whenever we use your personal data or share it with other organisations, it will be in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

The Act requires, among other things, that we do not use your data for purposes incompatible with those listed here, that we take appropriate measures to protect the confidentiality, integrity and security of your information and that we must supply you with a copy of the information we hold about you if you request it.

We must observe the provisions of the following legislation as may be amended from time to time:

  • the Data Protection Act 1998
  • the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
  • the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and
  • European Commission (EC) Regulation No 259/2008 as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) No 410/2011

We may need to disclose personal information when required by law if, in our opinion, it is necessary to comply with a current judicial proceeding, a court order or legal process.

We will publish information relating to support payments in Scotland in line with European Commission legislation. We will also publish information which is not personal data for reasons of transparency and public interest.

For further information on how your information is used, how we maintain the security of your information and your rights to access the information we hold about you please get in touch.

Contact us