Farm data certification scheme to launch on 26th February, 2024

A new certification scheme for the good governance and management of farm data in the UK will be launched on the 26th February.

Farm Data Principles Ltd, the newly incorporated not-for-profit organisation that will carry forward the work of what was the British Farm Data Council, will announce the details of the new scheme and answer questions at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Science & Technology in Agriculture at Portcullis House in Westminster, on Monday 26th February, where former Science Minister George Freeman MP will also speak. The meeting will also be available to people online.

Making the announcement, Farm Data Principles Ltd chair Professor Tina Barsby OBE said: “Good farm data governance is essential if farmers in the UK are to have trust in companies and organisations who are bringing data tools to the market and handling on-farm data. Having consulted with much of the food supply chain we have formulated good farm data principles and are now ready to formally launch the certification process for those companies and organisations that can demonstrate their adherence to those principles. 

“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the volunteer council over the past 18 months. We now have a fully functioning scheme, a contracted day-to-day operator and, we can announce that we already have several organisations who have certified.”

The scheme, Professor Barsby said, is based on the principle of self-declaration. “All certifying organisations complete a data handler statement which, subject to some checks and balances, is then published on the Farm Data Principles website as a public disclosure that their management of farm data aligns with the principles we have created.” 

Those principles, she said, are based on acknowledgment that the farmer (or to be more precise, the Data Originator) has the right of control over their data; that a data handler is transparent about what the value or purpose of a farmer sharing their data is; that a farmer’s data is kept safe; and that the certifying organisation is supportive of “making data easy”.

“These principles sit at the heart of the scheme”, Professor Barsby added. “They are there to ensure farmers’ interests are front and centre when they are asked to share their data.”

Dr Helen Ferrier, Chief Science and Regulatory Affairs Adviser for the National Farmers Union said: “The NFU recognises the huge potential of data-driven tools and technologies to help farmers improve their profitability and sustainability. Today marks the start of a framework that we have long been calling for - a way for companies to openly demonstrate they are using farmers’ data responsibly, acknowledging the need to build the trust of farmers and growers, address their concerns and clearly demonstrate the benefits of sharing farm data.”

Among the early adopters to go through certification is integrated farm management charity Linking Environment and Farming which runs the LEAF Marque assurance scheme. “Farm data transparency is an area of understandable focus currently,” Chief Executive David Webster said. “For an organisation like LEAF Marque it is vital we can provide the necessary reassurance that any data shared through our platform will be managed responsibly and ethically. That is why we are pleased to support the launch of Farm Data Principles as an independent framework to demonstrate our organisational commitment to responsible and transparent data management practices.”

Others who have already signed up include national crop production specialists HL Hutchinson, agridata analytics business Yagro, Map of Ag’s Pure Farming data exchange, and Assured Food Standards. Several others have also expressed interest to go through certification in the coming weeks. The scheme also has the endorsement of the NFU, BIAC and AICC.

Day-to-day operation of the scheme has been outsourced to specialist agridata consultancy Communagator Ltd. “We are delighted to be operating the scheme for Farm Data Principles,” its managing director Julian Gairdner said. “To have several organisations already up and running on the day of launch is testament to the buy-in there is to the objectives and the obvious effort that has gone into consulting on and developing the detail. We look forward to helping the scheme go from strength to strength.”

Further information:

The British Farm Data Council was formed in the summer of 2022 to develop thought leadership and governance around the use of farm data in the UK.

Over the past 18 months the nine-strong council drawn from across the UK ag sector has developed a self-declaration certification scheme to enable organisations to demonstrate their alignment to four core principles:

○ Your data is your data

○ We are clear about the value and benefit of data sharing

○ We keep your data safe

○ We strive to make data easy

In September 2023, the British Farm Data Council incorporated as a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee, Farm Data Principles Ltd.

The nine-strong council appoints the directors of the company who oversee its day-to-day management. The members of the council are:

○ Professor Tina Barsby OBE

○ Sarah Bell

○ Dr Susannah Bolton

○ Sarah Cowlrick

○ Hugh Crabtree

○ Gareth Davies

○ Dr Helen Ferrier

○ Poul Hovesen

○ David Hutchinson

Communagator Ltd, a specialist agridata consultancy has been appointed under contract to Farm Data Principles Ltd to operate the scheme, providing support and rigour to the process of certification, alongside administrative services.

Certifying organisations pay a licence fee of £950 +VAT a year and can be either fully certified or provisionally certified depending on the information they declare on their data handler statement.

All certifying organisations have their data handler statement published on the Farm Data Principles website to enable Data Originators (and others) to understand how they manage and handle farm data.

To register for the launch webinar on 26th February, please contact the APPG secretariat at julianlittlecommunications@gmail.com by Friday 23rd February.

Organisations wishing to find out more about certification can complete this form

Contact:

Dr Julian Little
julianlittlecommunications@gmail.com
07900 276999