Last updated: 8 October 2026

Website: thebeefadvocate.org

Data controller: The Beef Advocate Limited (registered in England and Wales, company number 16943507)

Registered office: 124-128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX, United Kingdom

Email: info@thebeefadvocate.org

 

1. Overview

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share personal data when you use our website or contact us, including in relation to the Global Meat Standard and the Certified Beef Programme.

 

2. Personal data we collect

We may collect:

    •    Identity and contact details: name, job title, company/restaurant name, email, phone number, country/city

    •    Enquiry and correspondence data: messages you send us, meeting notes, attachments

    •    Application data (if you apply): information you provide about your restaurant and relevant contacts, and documentation          necessary for review (which may include names, roles, and contact details of team members or suppliers)

    •    Technical data: IP address, browser type and requested pages in the request logs of our hosting provider, kept for a short period for the security and operation of the website. The website uses Vercel Web Analytics, a cookie-free visit counter (see Section 8).

    •    Abuse-control data: when you send the application form we store, for up to 24 hours, a keyed hash derived from your IP address and a hash of the form content to limit repeated or automated submissions, and for up to 3 days a hash of your email address so that only one confirmation email per day goes to an address. These hashes cannot be turned back into the original data.

 

We do not intentionally collect special category data (such as health data). Please avoid sending it unless explicitly requested.

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3. How we collect data

    •    when you fill in forms or contact us

    •    when you apply for certification or submit documentation

    •    through the technical logs of our website (see Section 8)

    •    from third parties where necessary (for example, service providers who help operate the website), always subject to

         appropriate safeguards

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4. Why we use your data and lawful bases​

We use your data for:

    •    Responding to enquiries (lawful basis: legitimate interests)

    •    Operating the website and keeping it secure (legitimate interests)

    •    Processing certification applications and administering the Certified Beef Programme (performance of a contract or

         steps prior to entering a contract, and legitimate interests)

    •    Improving our services and website (legitimate interests)

    •    Protecting the application form against misuse (legitimate interests)

 

Our legitimate interests are handling and answering certification requests from businesses, keeping records of those requests, and keeping the website and its form secure. The fields marked * on the application form (company name, website, first name, last name and email address) are needed to handle a certification request; without them we cannot process it.

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5. Sharing your data​

We may share your personal data with:

    •    Service providers acting as processors under our instructions: Vercel Inc. (website hosting and form processing; our functions run in London), Neon Inc. (database holding form submissions, hosted in London), Resend Inc. (email delivery, EU region) and our mailbox provider Strato AG (Germany)

    •    Professional advisers (legal, accounting) where necessary

    •    Independent experts/assessors where needed to support evidence-based review (shared on a need-to-know basis and

         subject to confidentiality expectations)

    •    Authorities where required by law or to protect rights, safety, and integrity

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We do not sell personal data.

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6. International transfers​

Our service providers Vercel, Neon and Resend are companies based in the United States that store our data in the UK or the EU. Where personal data is nevertheless transferred outside the UK, this happens under the safeguards included in their data processing terms (the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses and, where the provider is certified, the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework).

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7. Data retention

We keep personal data only as long as necessary:

    •    enquiries: typically up to 24 months after last contact

    •    certification requests sent through the website form: deleted automatically from the website database 12 months after submission; the copy in our mailbox and records follows the periods above

    •    certification applications and programme administration: typically for the life of the certification plus a reasonable period afterwards for audit, disputes, and integrity purposes (often up to 7 years), unless law requires otherwise

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8. Cookies and technical logs​

This website does not set cookies and does not use advertising or other tracking tools, so no cookie consent is needed. We use Vercel Web Analytics to count visits: it records the page viewed, the referring site, the country and the browser or device type, and derives a temporary anonymous identifier from the IP address and browser that is discarded after 24 hours; it stores nothing on your device and does not follow you across websites. Our hosting provider also keeps request logs (IP address, browser type, requested page and time) for a short period for the security and operation of the service.

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9. Your rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the right to:

    •    access your data

    •    correct inaccurate data

    •    request deletion

    •    restrict or object to processing

    •    withdraw consent (where we rely on consent)

    •    data portability (in certain cases)

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To exercise rights, contact info@thebeefadvocate.org.

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10. Complaints​

If you are not satisfied, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). If you are in the EU or EEA, you can also complain to your local data protection authority. We would appreciate the chance to address your concerns first; we answer requests within one month.

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11. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to maintain appropriate safeguards.

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12. Children​

This website is not intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

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13. Changes to this policy​

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date.

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14. Contact​

For privacy questions, contact info@thebeefadvocate.org.