KWS UK Limited (hereinafter referred to as “KWS”, “we” or “us”) takes the protection of personal data very seriously. KWS primarily distributes its products through companies such as wholesalers, distributors, dealers, suppliers and other partners (collectively, “business partners”). KWS may also distribute its products directly to farmers (our “customers”). In the course of its business activities and interactions with customers and business partners, including the management of business relationships, communication, surveys, marketing activities, and seed production, KWS may process personal data relating to customers, as well as professional contact information relating to representatives and contacts of customers and business partners. This Privacy Notice specifies how and for which purposes KWS processes such personal data and indicates the rights of data subjects.
1. Data processing controller
The controller of the data processing within the meaning of Article 4(7) of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) is KWS UK Limited, Thriplow, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 7RE, United Kingdom.
2. Contact details
KWS UK Ltd.
56 Church Street
Thriplow, Royston, Hertfordshire
SG8 7RE, United Kingdom
E-mail: dataprotection.kwsuk@kws.com
3. What are the lawful bases for processing your personal data?
We ensure that personal data is processed only in an appropriate manner and in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The processing of personal data must be justified by at least one lawful basis under Article 6(1) UK GDPR, and we set out the applicable basis for each processing activity in this Privacy Notice.
Below you will find the lawful bases that may justify the processing of your personal data:
- Consent, when you have consented to us processing your data (you were presented with a consent form with regard to such processing). You can revoke your consent at any time with future effect.
- Contract performance, if your data is required for the conclusion or performance of our contract with you.
- Legal obligation, if we process your data to meet our legal obligations.
- Legitimate interest, if we have a legitimate interest in processing your data and our legitimate interest in the processing outweighs any possible impairment of your data privacy rights.
4. Why and for which purpose do we process your data?4.1. Data of customers and their contacts
As part of the collaboration with our customers, KWS processes personal data for the following purposes:
- Communication with customers about products, services and projects, e.g. for handling customer inquiries.
Legal basis: contract performance, legitimate interests (handling customer inquiries and communications). For marketing communications: legitimate interests or consent, as applicable. - Planning, execution and management of the (contractual) business relationship between KWS and the customer, e.g. processing of orders for products and services, collection of payments for accounting, invoicing, collection of receivables and carrying out deliveries.
Legal basis: contract performance, legitimate interests (handling business relationship). - Conducting customer surveys, marketing campaigns, market analyses, competitions or similar actions and events.
Legal basis: legitimate interests (marketing of our products and services), consent. - Compliance with legal obligations (e.g. fiscal and commercial law) as well as KWS guidelines and industry standards.
Legal basis: legal obligation; legitimate interests (ensuring compliance with KWS guidelines and industry standards and preventing compliance violations). - Settlement of legal disputes, enforcement of existing contracts and assertion of claims, exercise and defense of legal claims.
Legal basis: legitimate interests (establishing, exercising or defending legal claims); legal obligation, where applicable.
4.2. Data of business partners and their contactsAs part of the collaboration with our business partners, KWS processes personal data for the following purposes:
- Communication with business partners about products, services and projects, e.g. for handling inquiries from our business partners.
Legal basis: legitimate interests (handling inquiries, communicating with business partners and facilitating the performance of contracts with business partners). - Planning, execution and management of the (contractual) business relationship between KWS and our business partners, e.g. processing of orders for products and services, collection of payments for accounting, invoicing, collection of receivables and carrying out deliveries.
Legal basis: contract performance, legal obligation, legitimate interests (handling business relationship). - Conducting surveys of our business partners, marketing campaigns, market analyses, lotteries or similar actions and events.
Legal basis: legitimate interests (marketing of our products and services), consent. - Compliance with legal obligations (e.g. fiscal and commercial law) as well as KWS guidelines and industry standards.
Legal basis: legal obligation; legitimate interests (ensuring compliance with KWS guidelines and industry standards and preventing compliance violations). - Settlement of legal disputes, enforcement of existing contracts and assertion of claims, exercise and defense of legal claims.
Legal basis: legitimate interests (establishing, exercising or defending legal claims). - Management of seed production and plant breeding by farmers/contractors commissioned via an agreement (e.g. to enable highly efficient field work processes and the support of data analysis and integration by KWS).
Legal basis: legitimate interest (to ensure the high quality of the seed and to optimize the processes within seed production). Contract performance applies where the individual is personally party to the agreement.
5. What information do we process?KWS processes the following categories of personal data if the above criteria are met:
5.1. Data of customers and their contacts
- Contact information such as first and last name, address, telephone number, cell phone number, date of birth (if voluntarily communicated to us), fax number and email address.
- Payment data, such as information about the processing of payment transactions.
- Additional information that needs to be processed within the scope of a customer project or performance of a contractual agreement with KWS or that is voluntarily provided by our customers, such as orders placed, inquiries or project data.
- Business information, such as acreage, disease and soil conditions, quantity and type of KWS’ and competitors’ products used, loyalty values.
- History of the interaction between the customer and KWS, such as participation in KWS events, mailings, interaction with KWS agents and/or freelancers.
5.2. Data of business partners and their contacts
- Contact information such as first and last name, business address, business telephone number, business cell phone number, business fax number and business email address.
- Payment data, such as information about the processing of payment transactions or the combating of fraud, including credit card information and security numbers.
- Additional information that needs to be processed within the scope of a project or performance of a contractual agreement with KWS or that is voluntarily provided by our contacts, such as orders placed, inquiries or project data.
- Information that comes from publicly accessible sources, information databases or credit agencies.
- As needed within the scope of compliance screenings: information about relevant legal disputes and other legal disputes with business partners.
- For the management of seed production and plant breeding by farmers/contractors commissioned via an agreement, the following data also apply: field data such as drone and satellite images, environmental data (e.g. weather and soil data), seed counts and machine data, as well as field data measurements, digital field plans, field boundaries and histories.
6. Where do we get personal information from?
6.1. Data of customers and their contacts
As a rule, we receive your personal data from you. However, we may also receive data from our business partners, vendors, service providers, freelancers and other third parties involved in our business relationship with you.
6.2. Data of business partners and their contacts
We may receive your personal data from you or from third parties – such as our business partners, credit agencies and anti-fraud agencies, sanctions lists and lists of politically exposed persons and from public registers.
7. How long do we keep your personal data?
If KWS has not specified the storage period during data collection (e.g. in a declaration of consent), your personal data will be erased if its storage is no longer required to fulfill the storage purpose – unless statutory retention obligations (e.g. under commercial or fiscal law) require storage for a longer period.
8. Who do we share information with?
KWS may share personal data with other KWS Group companies and other private-sector recipients where necessary for one or more of the purposes described above.
KWS forwards personal data to courts, authorities, and law firms insofar as legally permissible and necessary in order to comply with applicable laws or to assert, exercise, or defend legal claims.
KWS works with internal and external service providers (processors), such as service providers for IT maintenance services. These service providers may only act in accordance with the instructions of KWS and are contractually obligated to comply with the applicable data protection requirements.
9. Sharing information outside the UK
Recipients may be located outside the United Kingdom. Where necessary, we will transfer personal information outside of the UK in accordance with the international transfer requirements of the UK GDPR. We rely on UK adequacy regulations where the destination provides an adequate level of protection or, where necessary, implement appropriate safeguards in accordance with Article 46 UK GDPR.
Personal data may be transferred to KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA , as the KWS Group parent company and a provider of CRM, IT and system services, as well as to other KWS Group companies and service providers in Germany. Germany is covered by UK adequacy regulations and is therefore recognized as providing an adequate level of protection for personal data. You may contact us using the contact details provided above to obtain further information about the applicable transfer mechanism.
10. What rights do you have?
Within the context of the applicable legal provisions, you have certain rights related to your personal data. Please note that there are certain exceptions to the exercising of these rights, and you therefore cannot exercise them in all cases.
- Your right of access: You have the right to obtain information about all personal data stored by KWS about you. Certain exemptions may apply, meaning that you may not receive all the information you request.
- Your right to rectification: You have the right to ask us to correct personal information you consider inaccurate or complete information you consider incomplete.
- Your right to erasure: You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Your right to restriction of processing: You have the right to ask us to limit how we use your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Your right to data portability: You have the right to ask us to transfer personal information you provided to us to another organization or to you in certain circumstances.
- Your right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on consent as our lawful basis, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the information or to exercise any of your other rights. This helps us to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. No fee is required to make a request unless your request is clearly unfounded or excessive. Depending on the circumstances, we may be unable to comply with your request based on other lawful grounds.
Further information about your rights is available on the official website of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK data protection authority: Your data protection rights | ICO.
11. Right to object
Case-based right to object
Where we process your personal data on the basis of legitimate interests, you may object at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will stop the processing unless we demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms or the processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.
Right to object to processing of data for direct advertising purposes
You may object at any time to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes, including related profiling. If you object, we will no longer process your personal data for those purposes.
To exercise this right, please contact us using the contact details provided above.
If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.
Last updated
Royston, June 30, 2026