Complaints and Disputes
It is important to us that we operate a fair and transparent certification scheme. In the unlikely event that a complaint or dispute arises (lodged either by a certified or certifying organisation, or a third party) then we will follow the Complaints & Disputes procedure outlined below and also available as a download here.
Certification Scheme Complaints and Disputes Procedure
Farm Data Principles Ltd (“FDP”) owns and oversees the certification scheme to support the
safe and responsible use and sharing of farmers’ data in the UK. The Scheme is managed and
operated on FDP’s behalf by Communagator Ltd (“the Operator”).
This document sets out the procedure for registering a complaint or dispute with FDP and
explains how any complaint or dispute will be handled. The procedure may be updated from
time to time and the latest version will appear on the Farm Data Principles website.
Given the nature of the certification process and that the overarching principle is one of public
scrutiny of an applicant organisation’s Data Handler’s Statement, it is hoped there will be few
occasions for invoking these procedures. However, where complaints or disputes do arise they will be handled by FDP’s Complaints and Disputes Committee (“CDC”).
This document should be read and interpreted in conjunction with:
● Data Handler’s Statement
● Certification Scheme Rules
● Certification Licence Agreement.
The procedure to be followed is as set out below.
Members of the CDC will be appointed by the directors of FDP in consultation with FDP’s members and the company rules.
The complainant (which could be a third party or an applicant/certified organisation) must lodge its complaint with the Operator in writing by email within two weeks of the matter in dispute arising.
The Operator will acknowledge receipt within two working days and notify the CDC (including a suggested remedy where it feels able to do so). The following will then occur:
CDC will consider the matter.
CDC will provide the Operator with appropriate direction so that the parties to the complaint can be contacted with a confirmed decision within four weeks (unless circumstances legitimately make this impossible, in which case as soon as possible thereafter).
Any party to the complaint will then have an opportunity for one appeal against any decision of the CDC which must be lodged within two weeks of the CDC’s decision, and the CDC shall consider this representation and confirm any subsequent decision within two weeks of receipt of that appeal.
Thereafter, if the appealing party is not satisfied, a mutually agreed arbitrator will be appointed (at the appealing party’s cost) to resolve the matter.
In the event the CDC’s decision is to withdraw an organisation’s Certified Status, then the applicant organisation will be removed from the Scheme in line with the Certification Licence Agreement and the Certification Scheme Rules.
Neither FDP nor the CDC will be liable for any costs or losses (direct or indirect) suffered by any party that results from any decision the CDC makes in the context of this Complaints and Disputes Procedure.
For the purposes of this Complaints and Disputes Procedure (and any associated correspondence or rulings) AND the operation and interpretation of the Certification Scheme Rules, the definitions detailed in Appendix 1 apply, together with those included in the Certification Licence Agreement.
APPENDIX 1
DEFINITIONS
Aggregated Data - data which has been combined from a number of sources usually with the intention of adding value or creating insights
Anonymised Data - data which has been edited so as to remove any personally identifiable information
Certification Licence Agreement - the legal contract between FDP and a certified organisation setting out the terms and conditions under which certified status is conferred covering, inter alia, liability, the use of the logo, fees, and the complaints procedure
Complaints and Disputes Committee - A sub-committee comprising no fewer than three members of FDP and that adjudicates over complaints or matters in dispute
Data Breach - a security violation, in which data is copied, transmitted, viewed, altered or used by a party unauthorised to do so
Data Handler - the organisation wishing to gain access to a Data Originator’s data and/or the provider of digital solutions that store a Data Originator’s data. For example, a software provider; a retailer, food processor or other actor in the supply chain; a consultancy using farm data for benchmarking
Data Migration - the process of moving data from one storage system to another
Data Originator - the business or enterprise to which the data relates and which has (more often than not) been captured by a Data Handler. Most commonly (but not exclusively) this would be a farm(er)
Data Processing - the collection and translation of data, usually into a form of usable information
Farm Data - includes data relating to, or collected from, the business of a farmer, farm operation or its outputs including cropping and soils, livestock, land use and environment, telematics, IoT, farm management, climate and weather
Full Certification - The status conferred on an organisation where every question in its Data Handler’s Statement has been marked “Yes” by the Operator
Personal Data - information relating to an identifiable person or individual (known as a “data subject” in UK law)
Provisional Certification - the status conferred on an organisation which has one or more questions on its Data Handler’s Statement that are marked “Pending” by the Operator and which will be rectified within 12 months
Raw Data - original data which has not gone through any editing, aggregation, anonymisation or other form of transformation
Security Standards - measures (formal or informal) that would be generally recognised by the information technology industry as appropriate for the secure storage, processing and transmission of data
It is important to us that we operate a fair and transparent certification scheme. In the unlikely event that a complaint or dispute arises (lodged either by a certified or certifying organisation, or a third party) then we will follow the Complaints & Disputes procedure outlined below and also available as a download here.
Certification Scheme Complaints and Disputes Procedure
Farm Data Principles Ltd (“FDP”) owns and oversees the certification scheme to support the
safe and responsible use and sharing of farmers’ data in the UK. The Scheme is managed and
operated on FDP’s behalf by Communagator Ltd (“the Operator”).
This document sets out the procedure for registering a complaint or dispute with FDP and
explains how any complaint or dispute will be handled. The procedure may be updated from
time to time and the latest version will appear on the Farm Data Principles website.
Given the nature of the certification process and that the overarching principle is one of public
scrutiny of an applicant organisation’s Data Handler’s Statement, it is hoped there will be few
occasions for invoking these procedures. However, where complaints or disputes do arise they will be handled by FDP’s Complaints and Disputes Committee (“CDC”).
This document should be read and interpreted in conjunction with:
● Data Handler’s Statement
● Certification Scheme Rules
● Certification Licence Agreement.
The procedure to be followed is as set out below.
Members of the CDC will be appointed by the directors of FDP in consultation with FDP’s members and the company rules.
The complainant (which could be a third party or an applicant/certified organisation) must lodge its complaint with the Operator in writing by email within two weeks of the matter in dispute arising.
The Operator will acknowledge receipt within two working days and notify the CDC (including a suggested remedy where it feels able to do so). The following will then occur:
CDC will consider the matter.
CDC will provide the Operator with appropriate direction so that the parties to the complaint can be contacted with a confirmed decision within four weeks (unless circumstances legitimately make this impossible, in which case as soon as possible thereafter).
Any party to the complaint will then have an opportunity for one appeal against any decision of the CDC which must be lodged within two weeks of the CDC’s decision, and the CDC shall consider this representation and confirm any subsequent decision within two weeks of receipt of that appeal.
Thereafter, if the appealing party is not satisfied, a mutually agreed arbitrator will be appointed (at the appealing party’s cost) to resolve the matter.
In the event the CDC’s decision is to withdraw an organisation’s Certified Status, then the applicant organisation will be removed from the Scheme in line with the Certification Licence Agreement and the Certification Scheme Rules.
Neither FDP nor the CDC will be liable for any costs or losses (direct or indirect) suffered by any party that results from any decision the CDC makes in the context of this Complaints and Disputes Procedure.
For the purposes of this Complaints and Disputes Procedure (and any associated correspondence or rulings) AND the operation and interpretation of the Certification Scheme Rules, the definitions detailed in Appendix 1 apply, together with those included in the Certification Licence Agreement.
APPENDIX 1
DEFINITIONS
Aggregated Data - data which has been combined from a number of sources usually with the intention of adding value or creating insights
Anonymised Data - data which has been edited so as to remove any personally identifiable information
Certification Licence Agreement - the legal contract between FDP and a certified organisation setting out the terms and conditions under which certified status is conferred covering, inter alia, liability, the use of the logo, fees, and the complaints procedure
Complaints and Disputes Committee - A sub-committee comprising no fewer than three members of FDP and that adjudicates over complaints or matters in dispute
Data Breach - a security violation, in which data is copied, transmitted, viewed, altered or used by a party unauthorised to do so
Data Handler - the organisation wishing to gain access to a Data Originator’s data and/or the provider of digital solutions that store a Data Originator’s data. For example, a software provider; a retailer, food processor or other actor in the supply chain; a consultancy using farm data for benchmarking
Data Migration - the process of moving data from one storage system to another
Data Originator - the business or enterprise to which the data relates and which has (more often than not) been captured by a Data Handler. Most commonly (but not exclusively) this would be a farm(er)
Data Processing - the collection and translation of data, usually into a form of usable information
Farm Data - includes data relating to, or collected from, the business of a farmer, farm operation or its outputs including cropping and soils, livestock, land use and environment, telematics, IoT, farm management, climate and weather
Full Certification - The status conferred on an organisation where every question in its Data Handler’s Statement has been marked “Yes” by the Operator
Personal Data - information relating to an identifiable person or individual (known as a “data subject” in UK law)
Provisional Certification - the status conferred on an organisation which has one or more questions on its Data Handler’s Statement that are marked “Pending” by the Operator and which will be rectified within 12 months
Raw Data - original data which has not gone through any editing, aggregation, anonymisation or other form of transformation
Security Standards - measures (formal or informal) that would be generally recognised by the information technology industry as appropriate for the secure storage, processing and transmission of data
It is important to us that we operate a fair and transparent certification scheme. In the unlikely event that a complaint or dispute arises (lodged either by a certified or certifying organisation, or a third party) then we will follow the Complaints & Disputes procedure outlined below and also available as a download here.
Certification Scheme Complaints and Disputes Procedure
Farm Data Principles Ltd (“FDP”) owns and oversees the certification scheme to support the
safe and responsible use and sharing of farmers’ data in the UK. The Scheme is managed and
operated on FDP’s behalf by Communagator Ltd (“the Operator”).
This document sets out the procedure for registering a complaint or dispute with FDP and
explains how any complaint or dispute will be handled. The procedure may be updated from
time to time and the latest version will appear on the Farm Data Principles website.
Given the nature of the certification process and that the overarching principle is one of public
scrutiny of an applicant organisation’s Data Handler’s Statement, it is hoped there will be few
occasions for invoking these procedures. However, where complaints or disputes do arise they will be handled by FDP’s Complaints and Disputes Committee (“CDC”).
This document should be read and interpreted in conjunction with:
● Data Handler’s Statement
● Certification Scheme Rules
● Certification Licence Agreement.
The procedure to be followed is as set out below.
Members of the CDC will be appointed by the directors of FDP in consultation with FDP’s members and the company rules.
The complainant (which could be a third party or an applicant/certified organisation) must lodge its complaint with the Operator in writing by email within two weeks of the matter in dispute arising.
The Operator will acknowledge receipt within two working days and notify the CDC (including a suggested remedy where it feels able to do so). The following will then occur:
CDC will consider the matter.
CDC will provide the Operator with appropriate direction so that the parties to the complaint can be contacted with a confirmed decision within four weeks (unless circumstances legitimately make this impossible, in which case as soon as possible thereafter).
Any party to the complaint will then have an opportunity for one appeal against any decision of the CDC which must be lodged within two weeks of the CDC’s decision, and the CDC shall consider this representation and confirm any subsequent decision within two weeks of receipt of that appeal.
Thereafter, if the appealing party is not satisfied, a mutually agreed arbitrator will be appointed (at the appealing party’s cost) to resolve the matter.
In the event the CDC’s decision is to withdraw an organisation’s Certified Status, then the applicant organisation will be removed from the Scheme in line with the Certification Licence Agreement and the Certification Scheme Rules.
Neither FDP nor the CDC will be liable for any costs or losses (direct or indirect) suffered by any party that results from any decision the CDC makes in the context of this Complaints and Disputes Procedure.
For the purposes of this Complaints and Disputes Procedure (and any associated correspondence or rulings) AND the operation and interpretation of the Certification Scheme Rules, the definitions detailed in Appendix 1 apply, together with those included in the Certification Licence Agreement.
APPENDIX 1
DEFINITIONS
Aggregated Data - data which has been combined from a number of sources usually with the intention of adding value or creating insights
Anonymised Data - data which has been edited so as to remove any personally identifiable information
Certification Licence Agreement - the legal contract between FDP and a certified organisation setting out the terms and conditions under which certified status is conferred covering, inter alia, liability, the use of the logo, fees, and the complaints procedure
Complaints and Disputes Committee - A sub-committee comprising no fewer than three members of FDP and that adjudicates over complaints or matters in dispute
Data Breach - a security violation, in which data is copied, transmitted, viewed, altered or used by a party unauthorised to do so
Data Handler - the organisation wishing to gain access to a Data Originator’s data and/or the provider of digital solutions that store a Data Originator’s data. For example, a software provider; a retailer, food processor or other actor in the supply chain; a consultancy using farm data for benchmarking
Data Migration - the process of moving data from one storage system to another
Data Originator - the business or enterprise to which the data relates and which has (more often than not) been captured by a Data Handler. Most commonly (but not exclusively) this would be a farm(er)
Data Processing - the collection and translation of data, usually into a form of usable information
Farm Data - includes data relating to, or collected from, the business of a farmer, farm operation or its outputs including cropping and soils, livestock, land use and environment, telematics, IoT, farm management, climate and weather
Full Certification - The status conferred on an organisation where every question in its Data Handler’s Statement has been marked “Yes” by the Operator
Personal Data - information relating to an identifiable person or individual (known as a “data subject” in UK law)
Provisional Certification - the status conferred on an organisation which has one or more questions on its Data Handler’s Statement that are marked “Pending” by the Operator and which will be rectified within 12 months
Raw Data - original data which has not gone through any editing, aggregation, anonymisation or other form of transformation
Security Standards - measures (formal or informal) that would be generally recognised by the information technology industry as appropriate for the secure storage, processing and transmission of data
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