We at KWS Benelux B.V., KWS Vegetables B.V. and KWS Vegetables Netherlands B.V. (hereinafter also referred to as "KWS", "we" or "us") appreciate your interest in our company and thank you for visiting our website or using our app. KWS takes the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with legal data protection regulations and the Privacy Policy on this website. Below you will find information about what data we store and when, and how we use this data.
1. Controller
According to Article 4(7) of the GDPR, KWS Benelux B.V., Ettenseweg 4, 4706 PB Roosendaal, The Netherlands, KWS Vegetables B.V., Plus Ultra II, Bronland 10G, 6708 WH Wageningen, The Netherlands, and KWS Vegetables Netherlands B.V., Middenweg, 52, 1619 BN Andijk, the Netherlands, are the data controllers (controller).
2. Contact details
KWS Benelux B.V.
Ettenseweg 4
4706 PB Roosendaal, the Netherlands
Phone: +31 76 50 30003
Email: dataprotection.bnl@kws.com
KWS Vegetables B.V.
Plus Ultra II, Bronland 10G, 6708 WH Wageningen, The Netherlands
Phone: +31 6 28 20 58 32
Email: dataprotection.vegetablesnl@kws.com
KWS Vegetables Netherlands B.V.
Middenweg, 52, 1619 BN Andijk, the Netherlands
Phone: +31 228 591 462
Email: dataprotection.vegetablesnl@kws.com
3. Purposes and legal basis for processing
a) Informative visit to our website
In the case of purely informative use of the website, in other words: if you do not register or otherwise send information to us, we only collect the personal data that your browser sends to our server.
If you wish to view our website, we process the following data, which is technically necessary for us to show you our website and to ensure its stability and security
IP address
Date and time of the request
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) Time Zone Difference
Content of the request (specific website)
Access Status/HTTP Status Code
Amount of data transferred each time
Website from which the request comes
Browser
Operating system and its interface
Language and version of the browser software
These pieces of information are analyzed for statistical purposes only.
The legal basis for processing is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. Our legitimate interests are to provide our online service and to ensure data security.
b) myKWS
On our website, we offer you the opportunity to register for our information service "myKWS". You can also use the customer portal via our mobile application, the myKWS app. Below we inform you about the processing of your personal data when you use myKWS.
I. Registration for myKWS
myKWS is a comprehensive information service for crop-specific and overarching content about our products, especially for maize, sugar beet, wheat, barley, rye and rapeseed. Here you will find useful tools (e.g. a search tool for foliar disease damage patterns, planting planners, checking the dry matter content for silage maize) and calculation aids (e.g. how much seed is needed, planting density). myKWS provides regional information adapted to your growing region, e.g. for crop management of cereals, nematode management in beet cultivation and soil temperatures and heat levels for maize.
Registration is required to access this service and the information.
As part of your registration, we will create a user profile. For this purpose, we collect the data we need from you to create and manage your user account.
The legal basis for processing is Article 6(1)(b) GDPR.
Your data will be deleted 30 days after the termination of the user relationship and after the expiry of the statutory retention periods.
II. General information and recommendations
Within your myKWS user account, you can provide additional information (e.g. preferred crops, assignment of data from the KWS store), on the basis of which you will then receive relevant content and recommendations from us (e.g. for providing seed services and for providing advice on how to deal with the cultivated species). You will receive the relevant content and recommendations via a notification function in the myKWS section.
The legal basis for the processing is Article 6(1)(b) GDPR.
Your data will be deleted 30 days after the termination of the user relationship and after the expiry of the statutory retention periods.
III. Geo-based features
In myKWS, we use your location data to provide you with geo-based functions (e.g. a satellite-based analysis of your fields or relevant information about your location, such as the weather or local advisors).
It's also the ability to create geo-based notes. Here you can add informative text and images.
The myKWS app also gives you the option of transmitting your current location to us via GPS. To do this, the app uses your current location data.
For example, this feature allows you to display your current location on a map.
The legal basis for the processing is Article 6(1)(b) GDPR.
The data about your location will be deleted 30 days after the termination of the user relationship and after the expiry of the statutory retention periods.
IV. Usage Analysis
If you have given us your consent, we will collect and analyze the basic data about your user behavior in order to improve our services and make them more attractive.
Your usage data will only be collected and evaluated with your consent.
The legal basis for data processing is Article 6(1)(a) GDPR.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by sending an email to: dataprotection.bnl@kws.com
Your data will be deleted 30 days after the termination of the user relationship and after the expiry of the statutory retention periods.
V. Accessing the Camera to Use Features
The myKWS app has several features that require access to your device's camera if you wish to use these features. This allows you to load images directly into the app, for example, or obtain more information about the product by scanning the product's QR code. When you scan the QR code of the product, we store the transmitted product information with your information stored on myKWS in order to be able to create a usage history in your myKWS account.
The legal basis for the processing is Article 6(1)(b) GDPR.
If you are not logged in at the time of the scan or if you create your myKWS account at a later date, your location will be added to your myKWS account afterwards, provided that you have given your consent to the localization in the browser API.
The legal basis for the localization is Article 6(1)(a) and Article 6(1)(b) GDPR for the subsequent connection.
Your data will be deleted 30 days after the termination of the user relationship and after the expiry of the statutory retention periods.
If the processing is based on your consent, we will delete your data after you have withdrawn your consent, unless further processing is permitted under the relevant legal provisions.
c) Contacting customers
In addition, we use and process your contact information, e.g. name, address, fax number, e-mail address or telephone number, to tell you, using the communication methods you have submitted (post, fax, e-mail, telephone), about our products, services and special offers that may be of interest to you, and to conduct customer surveys.
The legal basis for processing is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. Our legitimate interest is communication with our customers.
d) Tracking
This website uses various technologies to collect and store data for marketing and optimization. This data can be used to create user profiles under a pseudonym.
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service provided by Google LLC ("Google"). The information generated by the cookie when you use this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. As part of IP anonymisation, your IP address will first be shortened by Google in a member state of the EU or another country that is party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity and providing the website operator with other services related to the use of the website and the Internet. The IP address transmitted by your browser in the context of the use of Google Analytics will not be combined with other data held by Google.
You can find more information on terms of use and data protection at https://policies.google.com/?hl=nl&gl=de. Note: On this website, Google Analytics has been extended with the code "anonymizeIp" to ensure that IP addresses are collected anonymously ("IP masking").
The legal basis for processing is Article 6(1)(a) GDPR.
To revoke your consent to the processing of your data in the context of Google Analytics, click on the blue hexagon in the bottom left corner of the browser to be able to adjust the settings in the cookie banner.
e) Newsletter
You will only receive an e-mail newsletter if you have explicitly ordered the newsletter on our website. If you no longer wish to receive an e-mail newsletter, you can unsubscribe via the link that appears at the end of each newsletter.
The legal basis for processing is Article 6(1)(a) GDPR.
f) Recommendations on Facebook, G+, Twitter, email and WhatsApp
You can easily share the information on the KWS website via Facebook, G+, Twitter, email, and WhatsApp using the relevant plugins. These "social bookmark plug-ins" are Internet bookmarks that allow users of these types of services to collect links and news items. On the KWS website, these are only linked as a link to the relevant services. Only after you have clicked on the corresponding icon will you be redirected to the website of the respective provider, i.e. only then will your user information be transferred to the respective provider. Information on the processing of your personal data by these websites can be found in the data protection declarations of the suppliers.
g) Facebook pixel
Our website has installed the so-called "Facebook pixel" of the social network Facebook, which is operated by Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland.
The Facebook pixel uses a Javascript device. If you visit our website and give your consent, the Facebook pixel automatically establishes a direct connection to the Facebook server. In particular, this allows the following data to be collected and transmitted to Facebook:
your IP address, device and browser characteristics, URL, referring URL, pixel ID and Facebook cookie, as well as information about page views and data entered in input fields.
We use a Facebook pixel to track visitors' actions on our website, to tailor Facebook ads to our website visitors and to obtain additional information about Facebook members who view our ads.
These methods are also used to analyze the visitor structure using data from Facebook.
The data will be kept for 180 days.
The legal basis for the data processing is Article 6(1)(a) GDPR.
Facebook processes the data within the framework of Facebook's data policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php
Specific information and details about the Facebook pixel and its functionality can be found in the Facebook Help Center: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/651294705016616
4. Cookies
We use cookies on our websites. Cookies are small text files that can be placed on your hard drive when you visit a website. These text files are created and sent to you by the web server to which you have connected via your web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome). Cookies cannot run programs or infect your computer with viruses. Their goal is to make the entire internet service more user-friendly and effective for you.
Our websites use the following types of cookies. Their scope of application and how they work is explained as follows:
Transient cookies (a)
Persistent cookies (b)
a) Transient cookies are automatically deleted when you close your browser. These mainly include session cookies. They store a "session ID" that allows different requests from your browser to be assigned to the entire session. This means that your computer can be recognized again when you return to our website. The session cookies are deleted when you log out or close your browser.
b) Persistent cookies are automatically deleted after a predetermined period of time, which may vary depending on the cookie. You can delete cookies at any time in your browser's security settings.
c) You can configure your browser settings to your preference and, for example, opt-out of third-party cookies or all cookies. Please note, however, that you may not be able to use all the functions of this website.
d) The flash cookies we use are not set by your browser, but by your flash plug-in. We also use HTML5 storage objects that are placed on your device. These objects store the necessary data independently of the browser you are using and do not have an automatic expiration date. If you do not want Flash cookies to be processed, you must install an add-on for this, e.g. "Ghostery" for Mozilla Firefox (https://addons.mozilla.org/nl/firefox/addon/ghostery/) or the Adobe Flash Killer Cookie for Google Chrome. You can prevent the use of HTML5 storage objects by setting your browser to private mode.
5. Recipients of personal data:
For the operation of our website and for the provision of personalized services, KWS also has subsidiaries of the KWS Group or third-party service providers that support us in processing orders, operating the website, providing personalized services and providing information to customers. These companies are only allowed to use your personal data when carrying out their duties on our behalf and are required to comply with relevant data protection regulations.
Transfers of personal data to public institutions and authorities will only take place in accordance with binding national legal provisions or if legal or criminal proceedings require them to be transferred. They will not be passed on for any other purpose.
6. Transfer to third countries
Personal data that we process within the framework of the procedures described above will also be transmitted by us to recipients within the meaning of Art. 4 (9) GDPR, who process your personal data outside the territory of the European Union. In this respect, there is also a transfer to third countries and then a processing of your personal data in third countries, for which there is no adequacy decision by the European Commission. We have therefore ensured the appropriate protection of your personal data with the relevant recipients through "appropriate safeguards" (Article 46 of the GDPR), by concluding standard contractual clauses, insofar as no derogation applies. You can request a copy of these warranties from us (contact details under no. 1/2).
7. Retention period
In general, we will only retain your information for as long as necessary to perform a service that you have requested or consented to. If there are statutory retention periods, your data will be stored in accordance with these legal specifications.
8. Your rights as a data subject
You have the following rights vis-à-vis us in relation to your personal data, provided that the respective legal requirements are met:
Right of access,
Right to rectification,
Right to erasure,
Right to restriction of data processing,
Right to data portability.
Right to object
Individual right to object
You have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you based on Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, including profiling based on that provision. Subsequently, we will no longer process the personal data for those purposes, unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing, which outweigh your interests, rights and freedoms, or unless the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims.
Right to object to processing for direct marketing purposes
In some cases, we process your data for direct marketing purposes. You have the right to object at any time to the processing of your personal data for those purposes. This applies to profiling insofar as it is linked to such direct marketing. If you object to processing for direct marketing purposes, your personal data will no longer be processed for those purposes.
Withdrawal of consent: If you have given your consent to the processing of your personal data, you may withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future. The lawfulness of the processing of your personal data until your withdrawal will not be affected.
If you wish to exercise these rights, please contact us using the contact details above.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, in particular in the member state where you habitually reside, work or where the suspected infringement occurred, if, in your opinion, the processing of your personal data is unlawful.
9. External links
Our online service occasionally contains links that lead to the websites of third parties. If this is not easily recognizable, we indicate that it is an external link. KWS has no influence on the content or form of the websites of third-party providers. This Privacy Policy does not apply to them.
10. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to change or revise this Privacy Policy from time to time. Therefore, please make sure that you read the current version of our Privacy Policy.
Roosendaal, Wageningen and Andijk, October 2024