Privacy

Who are we?

This website www.germains.com (the “Website”) is owned and operated by Germains Seed Technology (a division of ABF Grain Products Limited (registered in England and Wales under company number 00079590) (called in this notice “we”, “our” or “us”).

Purpose of this notice

This privacy notice tells you about the information we collect about you when you visit our Website or otherwise provide us with information. It also tells you how you can exercise Your Rights  (including the right to object to some of the data handling we carry out). More information about your rights and how you can exercise them is set out in the “Your Rights” section below.

What personal data do we collect?

Site traffic data and information about your computer

How do we use this data?

When you browse our Website, we use cookies or similar technologies to collect:
Information about your use of our Website for analytics purposes – we collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns.  We use this information to record visitor numbers, their use of different areas of the Website, and any useful features or links. We do not use this information in any way that would identify you personally. We use a third party, Google Analytics, to collect this information but it is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. We do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website;

Information about your computer; includes your IP address, operating system, and browser type. We use this information to help maintain the security of our Website and to identify trends so that we can improve its performance. We also use this information to customise the Website according to your interests and to ensure the Website’s content is presented as effectively as possible for you. We do not use this information in any way that would identify you personally.

Information about your preferences for online advertising purposes – where you have consented to marketing or advertising cookies or similar technologies using our cookies tool, we use this information to record your preferences and to personalise our advertisements to you directly and through our advertising partners, including Facebook (our Ad Partners). The personalisation of ads may be based on information we have collected as set out in this section, or based on other information attributed to you by our Ad Partners – such as your interests, age, gender, or similar demographics inferred from your internet browsing.

We refer to this information as ‘Event Data’.  Where we use Facebook marketing, this type of personal data is jointly controlled by us and our Ad Partner (Meta Platforms Ireland Limited) as we use this information jointly to provide you with tailored advertising.  For the purposes of exercising your data subject rights in relation to Event Data, our Ad Partner will be your primary contact.  For contact details and further information about how our Ad Partners use your data, please see https://en-gb.facebook.com/legal/terms and ensure you are happy with how your information is used by those sites.  If you are a logged-in user you can adjust your privacy controls with the Ad Partner directly.

Data we collect using non-essential cookies or similar technologies is used on the basis of your consent.  Any other information that we collect about your use of our Website is used on the basis that this is necessary for the purpose of our legitimate interests in maintaining and managing our Website and ensuring its security.

For more information about how we use cookies on our Website, see our Cookies Policy.

How long do we keep this information?

We will only keep information about your visit to our Website for as long as is necessary for the purposes we’ve mentioned. Typically we delete user browsing information every month. See Cookies Policy for further information.

Who do we share this information with?

We share information about visitors to our Website with service providers who help us administer and manage the Website. As explained above we also share information about your use of our Website with our Ad Partners.

Where do we transfer this information to?

We protect your privacy by using service providers located within the European Economic Area (EEA) whose data protection laws are deemed to provide adequate protection.

Information you send us

How do we use this data?

You do not have to supply us directly with any information when you use our Website. If you choose to use our ‘contact us’ feature or otherwise get in touch with us, we will use the information you send us for the purpose of responding to your enquiry. When we use your personal data for this purpose, we do so for our legitimate business interest in communicating with you in accordance with your wishes and expectations. We will also use this data for the purpose of our legitimate interests in accessing appropriate professional advice and in order to ensure we comply with legal obligations to which our business is subject. For more information about how we use information, you send us for recruitment purposes see our section on recruitment.

How long do we keep this information?

We will only keep your information for as long as is necessary in order to manage your query. We usually keep records of routine queries for 6 months but in some cases (for example where the query relates to a contract between us, or where we need to obtain legal advice in order to respond to a complaint) we may need to retain a record of our communications for up to 6 years.

Who do we share this information with?

We will share your data with our service providers and our professional advisers if this is necessary in order to resolve a query or complaint.

Otherwise, we will not share your information with any third party unless:

  • we have your permission;
  • we are required to do so by law;
  • this is necessary so that we can enforce our terms of use, rights or property or the rights or property of any third party; or
  • this is necessary in connection with the sale of our business or its assets (in which case your details will be disclosed to our advisers and any prospective purchaser’s advisers and will be passed to the new owners).

Where do we transfer this information to?

Our Website is hosted in the UK but data you submit when you apply for a job is also accessed by our group company Germains US with whom we have an agreement containing EU approved contractual clauses.  If you require further information about these safeguards, please contact us.

Recruitment

How do we use this data?

If you use our Website to send us your CV or other information in support of an enquiry about recruitment, we will use your information to respond to your query and consider your suitability for any available position. When we use your personal data in this way, we do so for the purpose of our legitimate interests in managing our recruitment. Where necessary, we will also use this data for the purpose of our legitimate interests in accessing appropriate professional advice and in order to ensure we comply with legal obligations to which our business is subject.

How long do we keep this information?

We usually retain information supplied by job applicants for no longer than 12 months following a relevant recruitment decision. If your application is unsuccessful, we may decide to retain your details for longer if we think you may be suitable for another position that may arise within the ABF group in the future. If we do this we will let you know about this so that you can opt out if you want to.

Who do we share this information with?

Where necessary so that we can manage our recruitment process, we will share your information with our service providers and professional advisers.

Otherwise, we will not share your information with any third party unless:

  • we have your permission (for example in order to share your details with another group company for their recruitment purposes);
  • we are required to do so by law;
  • this is necessary so that we can enforce our terms of use, rights or property or the rights or property of any third party; or
  • this is necessary in connection with the sale of our business or its assets (in which case your details will be disclosed to our advisers and any prospective purchaser’s advisers and will be passed to the new owners).

Where do we transfer this information to?

Any information you send us via our Website in support of an employment application is held by our service provider(s) on secure servers located outside the UK). We protect your privacy by using service providers based within the European Economic Area (EEA) whose data protection laws are deemed to provide adequate protection. We protect your privacy by entering into approved contractual clauses with service providers operating outside the UK. If you require further information about these safeguards, please contact us.

Information you give us when you sign up for our newsletter

How do we use this data?

You do not have to supply us directly with your personal data when you use our Website. However, some communications, services, and facilities can only be provided if you supply us with relevant details. For example, if you sign up for our newsletter you will be asked to provide us with your contact details. If we ask you to supply us with information that is not strictly necessary in order for us to provide you with the communication, service, or facility you are interested in, we will make this clear. This might be because it’s useful to us in helping us learn more about our customers or enhance our products and services.

If you do sign up for our newsletter we will use the personal data you provide :

  • to provide you with newsletters and other promotional information;
  • to provide you with specific information about our products and services;
  • to improve our understanding of the needs and interests of our customers and contacts; and
  • to notify you about changes to our services

When we use your personal data for these purposes, we do so for our legitimate business interests in developing and promoting our goods and services and communicating with you in accordance with your wishes and expectations. You can object to our use of your data for these purposes at any time. For further information about the way we use your data for direct marketing purposes see our direct marketing section. We will also use this data for the purpose of our legitimate interests in accessing appropriate professional advice and in order to ensure we comply with legal obligations to which our business is subject.

How long do we keep this information?

Information we hold for direct marketing purposes so that we can send you newsletters and other promotional material is held by us for as long as you continue to be interested in receiving our marketing communications. However, you can tell us to stop using your details for marketing purposes at any time by unsubscribing using the link provided at the bottom of every newsletter or by contacting us at info@germains.com

Who do we share this information with?

We share this data where necessary with our suppliers, service providers, and professional advisers. Otherwise, we will not share your information with any third party unless:

  • we have your permission;
  • we are required to do so by law;
  • this is necessary so that we can enforce our terms of use, rights or property or the rights or property of any third party; or
  • this is necessary in connection with the sale of our business or its assets (in which case your details will be disclosed to our advisers and any prospective purchaser’s advisers and will be passed to the new owners).

Where do we transfer this information to?

Data collected when you sign up to our newsletters and marketing communications is held by our services provider on secure servers in the US and is also accessed by our group company Germains US.  We protect your privacy by entering into EU-approved contractual clauses with Germains US and this supplier.  If you require further information about these safeguards, please contact us.

Information you give us when you enter a competition, prize draw, or promotion

How do we use this data?

When you enter a competition, prize draw, or promotion, we collect personal data from you as part of your entry. We use this to administer our competition, to communicate results where relevant, and to deliver prizes. When we use your personal data for these purposes, we do so because it is necessary for us to collect and use this information for the performance of our contract with you in accordance with our promotion rules.

If you are lucky enough to win a competition, prize draw, or promotion we use your data in additional ways.  Unless you ask us not to, we will make your surname and county of residence available: (a) on request to anyone who sends us a self-addressed envelope within 10 weeks of the closing date of the competition, and (b) to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) if they ask us.  We do this because it is necessary for the purpose of our legitimate interests in complying with the Code.  

You have the right to object to our publication of this data.  Please contact us as soon as possible, and within a week of receiving your winner’s notification if you want to object. If we haven’t heard from you within a week, and we are asked to publish the information, we will do so. If you object later, we may have already published the information.  

Where we are asked to disclose information to the ASA, and you object before we have disclosed the information, we will take into account your reasons for objecting although we may still be required to disclose this information, if, for example, we are required to demonstrate that a valid award took place. We also ask winners to agree to reasonable publicity and so we use winners’ names and other data provided as part of that publicity (e.g. photos) to publicise your win and our brand.  We use your information in this way as it is in our legitimate interests to publicise the winner(s) but you can object to our use of this data at any time by contacting us as soon as possible after you hear that you’ve won.

How long do we keep this information?

Information we hold in connection with the management of competitions, prize draws, and promotions is usually held for 6 years.

Who do we share this information with?

We share this data where necessary with our suppliers, service providers and professional advisers and as required by the Code. 

Otherwise, we will not share your information with any third party unless: 

  • we have your permission; 
  • we are required to do so by law;
  • this is necessary so that we can enforce our terms of use, rights or property or the rights or property of any third party; or 
  • this is necessary in connection with the sale of our business or its assets (in which case your details will be disclosed to our advisers and any prospective purchaser’s advisers and will be passed to the new owners).

Where do we transfer this information to?

Information we collect when you enter a competition, prize draw or promotion is stored within, and not transferred outside of, the European Economic Area.

Direct Marketing

How do we use this data?

We will use contact details you give us to deliver promotional information that you request or that we feel may interest you. We will also use this information to gain insights into the needs and interests of our customer base and to evaluate the effectiveness of our marketing activities. We will only contact you for marketing purposes by email and/or SMS if you have consented to this. When we use your data for our direct marketing purposes we do so for our legitimate interests in promoting our business and the goods and services we offer.  

How long do we keep this information?

We keep information for direct marketing purposes (including information obtained using tracking technology to help us monitor the effectiveness of our e-marketing) for as long as you continue to be interested in receiving our marketing communications and haven’t unsubscribed. You can tell us to stop using your details for marketing purposes by contacting us and can opt-out of email marketing at any time by using our unsubscribe feature.

Who do we share this information with?

Where necessary we share this data with our suppliers and service providers. Otherwise, we will not share your information with any third party unless:

  • we have your permission;
  • we are required to do so by law;
  • this is necessary so that we can enforce our terms of use, rights or property or the rights or property of any third party; or
  • this is necessary in connection with the sale of our business or its assets (in which case your details will be disclosed to our advisers and any prospective purchaser’s advisers and will be passed to the new owners).

Where do we transfer this information to?

Information we hold for direct marketing purposes is held by our service provider(s) on secure servers located outside the UK. We protect your privacy by entering into approved contractual clauses with service providers operating outside the UK. If you require further information about these safeguards, please contact us .

Your Rights

You can ask us at any time to provide you with a copy of your personal data. In relation to personal data you have supplied to us, and which is held by us for the purpose of entering into a contract between us or on the basis of your consent, you are entitled to ask us for a copy of this information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format so that you can reuse it or share it with other organisations.

If you think the personal data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you can ask us to correct it or complete it. In some circumstances, you also have the right to object to our processing of your data and can ask us to restrict our use of your data and delete it.

There are some exceptions to these rights, however. For example, it will not be possible for us to delete your data if we are required by law to keep it or if we hold it in connection with a contract with you. Similarly, access to your data may be refused if making the information available would reveal personal information about another person or if we are legally prevented from disclosing such information. If you wish to exercise any of these rights you should contact us.

Contacting us and your rights of complaint

Questions, comments, or requests concerning this privacy notice are welcomed and should be addressed to ‘The Data Protection Coordinator, Germains Seed Technology, Hansa Road, Hardwick Ind. Est, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, United Kingdom. PE30 4LG’. Alternatively, you may contact us by email at dpc@germains.com

If you have a concern about the way we handle your personal data you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner (ICO). You can find details of how to do this on the ICO website at https://ico.org.uk/ or by calling their helpline on 0303 123 1113.

This privacy notice was last updated on August 4th, 2022.