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