Data Usage Policy

Last updated: February 2026

Owner: Welfare Assessment Technologies Ltd (WAT)

Welfare Assessment Technologies Ltd (“WAT”, “we”, “our”, “us”) is the owner and operator of the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) platform. This Data Usage Policy explains how we collect, process, store, and use data submitted by users (“you”, “your organisation”) when using the AWAG system.

Our goal is to give organisations complete confidence that the data they record remains securely protected, is never shared in an identifiable form, and is used only to support animal welfare insights consistent with the purpose of the AWAG tool.

1. Purpose of Data Collection

The AWAG platform enables organisations to log animal welfare-related data across health, behavioural, environmental, and procedural factors. This includes information such as clinical health indicators, behavioural observations, environmental conditions, and procedural events affecting welfare.

This data is essential for the AWAG system to:

• Objectively assess and monitor the cumulative lifetime welfare of animals.
• Provide welfare scoring and reporting back to the submitting organisation.
• Support non-identifiable, aggregated analysis that contributes to sector-wide welfare benchmarking and improvements.

2. Categories of Data Collected

2.1 Animal Welfare Data

Organisations may record species, health factors, environment-related factors, behavioural indicators, and procedural or husbandry-related data. No animal names or individual identifiers are required for AWAG to function, and we strongly recommend organisations avoid storing such identifiers.

2.2 User and Organisation Data (Minimal & Operational)

Where necessary for account setup, support, or contractual purposes, WAT may collect limited organisational contact information such as user names, email addresses, preferences, or demographic information. This is consistent with AWAG’s stated privacy practices. [awag.org.uk]

3. How Data Is Processed

3.1 Individual Organisation Data

All welfare records entered into AWAG are visible only to the organisation that submitted them. Data is used exclusively to generate welfare assessments and reporting dashboards for that organisation.

3.2 Aggregated, Anonymous Sector-Level Data

Your welfare data may be combined with similar datasets to produce completely anonymous, aggregated insights, such as:

• Species-level welfare risk trends
• Sector-specific welfare benchmarks
• Research-informed recommendations for improving welfare practices

Aggregated data contains no organisational identifiers, no animal names, and no information traceable back to any organisation. This aligns with AWAG’s design goal of producing “big data on animal welfare” that informs policy while remaining anonymous. [awag.org.uk]

3.3 No Commercial Sharing, Selling, or Disclosure

We never sell, license, or disclose identifiable organisation data to third parties.

Data is only shared when:

• Legally required (e.g., law enforcement requests), or
• With carefully selected trusted service providers who support our platform operations under strict confidentiality requirements (e.g., IT infrastructure partners). This is consistent with current AWAG privacy policy provisions. [awag.org.uk]

4. Legal Basis & Global Compliance

4.1 UK GDPR & Data Protection Act 2018

We follow all applicable data protection principles, ensuring that data is:

• Used lawfully, fairly, and transparently
• Limited to the stated purpose
• Securely stored
• Protected against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse [gov.uk]

4.2 International Standards

For organisations outside the UK, we follow equivalent global data protection frameworks, ensuring:

• Data minimisation
• Purpose limitation
• Secure processing
• Restricted access
• No cross-border transfers without appropriate safeguards

5. Data Storage & Security

• Data is stored on secure servers located in the UK and/or Europe. [Privacy Policy]
• Strong access controls ensure only authorised users from your organisation can view your records.
• We implement technical and organisational safeguards to prevent loss, misuse, or unauthorised disclosure.
• Where cookies or analytics tools are used on AWAG websites, they do not contain personally identifiable information and are primarily functional or anonymous analytics. [Cookie Policy]

6. Data Retention

We retain welfare and system data only for as long as necessary to fulfil AWAG’s purpose, contractual obligations, or legal requirements. Organisations may request deletion of all identifiable data associated with their account.

Aggregated anonymous data may be retained indefinitely for research, policy guidance, or system improvement since it cannot be used to identify any organisation or animal.

7. Your Rights

Organisations and their authorised users have the right to:

• Access the data they have submitted
• Request corrections
• Request deletion of identifiable user information
• Restrict or object to certain forms of processing
• Request details about how aggregated data is produced

These rights are aligned with UK GDPR protections. [gov.uk]

8. Transparency & Control

• We do not use AWAG welfare data for marketing.
• We do not use submitted data for profiling, except for the welfare scoring logic inherent to the AWAG tool.
• Organisations retain full ownership and control of their submitted welfare data.

9. Contact & Governance

Welfare Assessment Technologies Ltd
Registered Office: 28 High Street, Highworth, Wiltshire, UK, SN6 7AQ
Contact: mark@welfareassessmenttechnologies.com | +44 (0)1793 861443

10. Summary Assurance for Prospective Partners

When using the AWAG platform:

• Your data will never be shared in a way that identifies your organisation or animals.
• Your welfare data contributes to sector-level insights only in aggregated, anonymous form.
• Only you can access your organisation-specific data.
• We comply with UK GDPR, global data protection standards, and robust cybersecurity practices.