Sharing farm data with your agronomist or land agent: what to allow, and your rights
What an agronomist or land agent should see, read-only access, how BASIS and FACTS help you check an adviser, taking access back, and UK GDPR rights.
Last checked against gov.uk
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- The AgriSync team
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- 4 minutes
Written for farms in the UK. The data protection points come from the ICO's UK GDPR guidance.
Short answer
Share only what your adviser needs. Let them look but not change, one farm at a time. Make sure you can take access back whenever you like. Check their qualifications, such as BASIS for crop protection and FACTS for nutrient advice. Under UK GDPR (data protection law), your personal data as a sole trader or partner is protected.
Why share farm records with an adviser?
An agronomist or land agent gives better advice when they see the same field records as you. That means boundaries and areas, crops and growth stages, satellite readings and your photos as proof. It saves talking them through it on the phone. And their notes sit next to the field they're about. The aim is to share enough to get good advice, and no more.
What should an adviser be able to see, and not see?
| Usually fine to share | Usually keep back |
|---|---|
| Field boundaries, areas and crops for the farm they advise on | Other farms or businesses you run |
| Crop health readings and growth stages | Bank details, payment records and accounts |
| Photos as proof and the SFI to-do list, if they help with SFI | The power to edit, delete or submit your records |
| A place for their notes and recommendations | Login details: never share your password |
Look-but-don't-change (read-only) access matters most. If an adviser can change your field records or photos, you lose the clear line between what you did and what they suggested.
How do BASIS and FACTS help me choose an adviser?
They are professional registers run by BASIS Registration, a charity. The BASIS Professional Register (opens in a new tab) is for people who show skill and up-to-date knowledge of pesticides in farming, horticulture and amenity work. Since 1992, FACTS (opens in a new tab) has set standards, training and ongoing learning for people who give advice on nutrients.
Ask an adviser for their BASIS and FACTS numbers. Ask if their membership and CPD (ongoing training) are up to date. A qualification doesn't promise good advice. But it shows they've been tested and keep their training current.
How do I take access back?
Before you share, check you can remove access yourself. You shouldn't need to ask the adviser or the app company. It should work straight away. Remove access when an adviser moves on, a contract ends or you just change your mind. First download any notes or reports you want to keep.
What are my rights under UK GDPR?
UK GDPR protects personal data. The ICO (the UK's data watchdog) says information about a limited company itself is not personal data. But the law does apply to information about people acting as "sole traders, employees, partners, and company directors" where it relates to them as individuals (ICO (opens in a new tab)). For many family farms, a lot of farm data is linked to a named person.
| Right | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Withdraw consent (opens in a new tab) | Where sharing relies on your consent, you must be able to withdraw it easily and at any time. |
| Right of access (opens in a new tab) | You can ask for a copy of the personal data an organisation holds about you. |
| Right to erasure (opens in a new tab) | In some circumstances you can ask for personal data to be erased. Organisations have one month to respond. |
| Data portability (opens in a new tab) | You can get personal data you provided in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, to reuse elsewhere. |
Your adviser's firm has its own data protection duties for anything it copies or downloads from your records. Ask how they store it and when they delete it. Unhappy with how an organisation handles your personal data? the ICO (opens in a new tab) explains your rights.
Common questions
Should my agronomist join my farm account as a team member?
Usually not. Give advisers their own read-only access to the farm instead. Then they keep their own login, and you can remove them without affecting your team.
Is farm data owned by a limited company covered by UK GDPR?
The ICO says information about the company itself is not personal data. Information about a person who can be identified, such as a director or employee, is.
Can I share with a land agent as well as an agronomist?
Yes, the same rules apply. Share only the farm they work on, read-only. Remove access when the job is done.
How quickly must an organisation respond to a request to erase my data?
The ICO says organisations have one month to respond to a request for erasure.
Sources
Every source was checked on 25 October 2026. If something has changed, tell us at info@agrisync.co.uk.
- 1.What is personal data? (opens in a new tab), Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- 2.What is valid consent? (opens in a new tab), Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- 3.Individual rights (opens in a new tab), Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- 4.Right to erasure (opens in a new tab), Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- 5.Right to data portability (opens in a new tab), Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- 6.BASIS Professional Register (opens in a new tab), BASIS Registration
- 7.FACTS (opens in a new tab), BASIS Registration
- 8.SFI26: scheme rules and guidance (opens in a new tab), GOV.UKv4.0, August 2026 (page updated 23 September 2026)
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