New scheme aims to protect farmer’s data from misuse

The British Farm Data Council (BFDC) has been set up to provide a recognised standard of care, security and ownership of farmers’ data.

It hopes to launch late this year, by which time it will have several companies signed up to its code of practice.

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These will have gone through a certification process that means they will set out clearly how they will use farmers’ data.

The council is independent, not-for-profit and made up of a cross-section of industry people.

Data sharing can help businesses become more efficient and environmentally sustainable.

The council aims to get away from the often one-way traffic of information where farmers are expected to give over their data but get little, if anything, in return.

It aims to enable clear recognition for farms, companies and organisations across the agricultural industry that champion fair and appropriate data rights.

Dr Julian Little, co-ordinator of the BFDC, says: “A farmer’s data belongs to them – we need to build trust in companies who are doing things in a more transparent way.

“What we are trying to achieve through BFDC certification is to remove those inherent doubts so that these data and tools can be used to increase sustainability, both economically and environmentally, for UK farms.”

The biggest concerns revolve around trust and confidentiality, and what constitutes an appropriate standard of data governance, the BFDC says, so most farmers are wary of participation in data initiatives because of the associated and largely unknown risks.

Poor practice

Examples of poor practice in farm data use include automatic opt-ins for data sharing.

“The standard should be that if a farmer is to give permission for data to be used or shared, it should be made clear how that data will be used or shared, and they should have to take an action to agree to this, not for them to have to take an action to opt out of it,” says Julian.

Participation in the BFDC’s scheme by those doing business with farmers and with an interest in their data will be voluntary, under guidelines for good practice.

Following an accreditation process, there will be certification for those signing up to the initiative.

BFDC’s terms of reference recognise that farm data governance is important, but that there is also general unease that things are not being done properly.

There are few or no safeguards outside the narrow confines of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation, and no one is sure what “good” looks like, says Julian.

Aims

The council aims to accelerate digitisation of the industry and the associated potential benefits in productivity, sustainability and performance.

To start with, it is surveying the current farm data landscape so it can set out what a gold standard might look like.

Its first two years are being funded by farm data intelligence business Yagro, a subsidiary of Frontier Agriculture.

After this initial period, the plan is for certification income from companies signing up to the initiative to cover the running costs of the council and the accreditation process.

What about the long term?

Julian says the BFDC is focused on getting things done and making improvements, rather than achieving long-term lofty aims, although the eventual establishment of a British Standard or International Organization for Standardization accreditation is not being ruled out.  

He suggests that farmers ask those they do business with whether they are going to sign up to the BFDC standard.

“If they say yes, that’s great,” he says. “If they’ve never head of us, point them in our direction. If they say no, ask them why not.”

Also, farmers who are asked for agreement to use of their data should read the small print, he says, even though this is often quite a task.

“If things are not clear, ask ‘how will my data be used?’ If they are a bona fide firm, they will help you understand this.”

Sanctions

Where a business signs up to the BFDC standard and is certified, if it is then shown to be failing to stick to that BFDC commitment, it will lose its certification.