The Data Protection Act

THE DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998

It is required under data protection legislation to advise individuals about the processing of personal information, i.e. why this information is being collected, how this information will be used and the circumstances in which it will be disclosed.  Information supplied in connection with your Horse Registration will be passed by this Society to the National Equine Database [NED].  NED is jointly operated by the National Equine Database Society Limited for Government and the GB equine industry.

There is a mandatory requirement that some horse passport based information about horse and owner must be passed to NED by Passport Issuing Organisations.  The information required is likely to be: - Passport Identification Number, name of horse, date of registration, date or year of birth, date or year of death, breed, sex, colour, owner details (title, first name, last name, address, postcode), country of birth, date of passport issue.  If available other information to aid identification such as BHD number, internal organisation reference number, microchip number, ancestry & keeper details should also be passed to the database. 

This information is being collected in order to provide a source of data that supports DEFRA’s veterinary disease control and surveillance activities.  The information will also enable DEFRA to carry out its responsibilities regarding the implementation of the horse passport requirement.  It will also facilitate strategic planning within the equine sector, assist in tracing the owners of straying, lost or stolen horses and reduce malpractice in the sale of horses and ponies.  NED will also provide information for DEFRA-authorised research and evaluation.  DEFRA will be the data controller for the mandatory information which will be processed for DEFRA by NED Society Ltd.  The data collected for this purpose will be adequate, relevant and not excessive for the above purposes.

For the equine industry in general, the information passed to NED voluntarily by the industry will provide a comprehensive central archived source of Breeding, Evaluation and Performance [B.E.P] data which will enhance the quality of horses bred in Great Britain.  NED Society Ltd will be the data controller for the B.E.P data and a full list of the information provided by the industry data suppliers in order to populate the B.E.P element will appear on the NED website when this is established.  BEP data will be accessible via a dedicated Internet website to other interested parties who will pay a fee to access the information. 

The horse passport based information provided may, in future, be used for research purposes or statistical analysis.  Your personal data may be shared, if necessary, within the DEFRA family, other Central Government Departments, Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Local Authorities.  Your personal details [i.e. name and address of horse owner] will be treated as confidential at all times and all data supplied will be kept secure.  Your personal details will not appear on the commercial BEP website.  Any enquiries from users of the BEP website will be directed to the organisation or society that forwarded the information to the National Equine Database.

In limited circumstances, DEFRA / NED Society Ltd or its agents may be required to release information, including personal data and commercial information, on request under the Environmental Information Regulations, the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information or the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  However, neither DEFRA, NED Society Ltd nor its agents will permit any unwarranted breach of confidentiality nor will we act in contravention of our obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998.  DEFRA / NED Society Ltd or its appointed agents may use the name, address and other details on your application form to contact you in connection with occasional customer research aimed at improving the services that DEFRA provides to you.

The Irish Draught Horse Society (GB)
The Forge, Avenue B,
10th Street,
Stoneleigh Park,
Warwickshire CV8 2LG
Tel: 08452 300 399
E-mail here
Registered Charity No. 1080522

Last Updated Wednesday, September 19 2007 @ 09:10 PM BST; 718 Hits