1. Introduction – What is the purpose of this Policy?

Below you will find information on the different kinds of collecting and processing your personal data by the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) or the European Union reference laboratory for residues of veterinary medicines and contaminants in food of animal origin (EURL) that will occur when you access the web site of the EURL or contact us in any other manner.

The term “personal data” covers any piece of information that refers to an identified or identifiable natural person (“data subject”). An individual or natural person is considered to be identifiable when it can be identified directly or indirectly – in particular, by matching an identifier such as a name, with an ID number, geographical data, or online ID. This includes all details that refer to you as a person, i. e., name, address, email address, user behaviour, phone number and the like.

We want you to know when we collect which kind of data and how we process it. We have installed technical and organisational measures to ensure that the data protection rules and regulations are complied with both by us and by our third-party service providers.

At the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, personal data will be processed in compliance with the applicable data protection law, including, but not limited to the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG).

We are obligated to provide this information pursuant to Art. 13 and 14 of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Controller and Data Protection Officer of this Federal Office

The Controller for personal data processed by this federal office is

Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit
Bundesallee 35
38116 Braunschweig
Telephone: 0531/21497-0
Telefax :0531/21497-299
Email: poststelle@bvl.bund.de

Postal Address

Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit
Dienstsitz Braunschweig
Postfach 15 64
38005 Braunschweig
Germany

In all data protection matters (e. g., questions, notices, and complaints) you may contact the data protection officer of the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety any time:

Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit
Official Data Protection Officer: Dr. N. Fengler
Mauerstraße 39-42
10117 Berlin
Telephone: 030/18445-7141
Email: datenschutz@bvl.bund.de

3. Legal basis for the processing of personal data

The EURL and the BVL process personal data in the performance of the tasks assigned to them and carried out in the public interest.

To the extent that the EURL or the BVL process personal data for performing their tasks carried out in the public interest, these activities are based on art. 6 par. 1, lit. e of the GDPR in conjunction with 1 art. 5 par. 1 lit. a of the REG (EU) 2018/1725 in conjunction with art. 94 REG (EU) 2017/625, art. 147 REG (EU) 2017/625, annex VII part I Nr. 12 c) of REG (EG) Nr. 882/2004 for the EURL or on art. 6, par. 1, lit. e of the GDPR and section 3 of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) in conjunction with the corresponding statutory provisions for the corresponding task (if applicable, in conjunction with ministerial decrees) for the BVL.

The public tasks of the BVL include the provision of information to the public on findings and work results that the BVL obtained in the course of its work. This information will be provided by making information available to the public through this website.

4. Data processing in connection with the visit of this website

The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety operates a website at the domain www.eurl-residues.eu by which it informs the general public of its work and provides information to the public.

We will process personal data only to the extent required.

In principle, the website of the EURL can be used without disclosing personal data. Whenever a data transmission becomes necessary during your visit of our website, we assure you that we meet safety standards in compliance with up-to-date and certified procedures.

4.1 Your personal details

If you contact us your personal data will only be stored and used for communicating with you and for processing your inquiry.

4.2 Browser details

When you browse our website, your web browser will transmit data to our web server. This information will be stored on the web servers of the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety and will not be transmitted to third parties. The following user data will be recorded:

• Anonymised IP address,
• Inquiry details and target address (protocol version, HTTP method, referrer, user agent string),
• Date and time (time stamp),
• Accessed web page/ name of retrieved file (accessed URL, including query string),
• Transmitted data volume (size in bytes),
• Message whether the access/download was successful (HTTP status code).

This data will be stored in a log file. Storing this information is necessary for statistical purposes. This data will be automatically deleted at regular intervals (s. under 5.).

In principle, this anonymised data will be used to further develop our web services and will not be analysed in a manner by which you could be identified.

4.3 Security

The BVL will use technical and organisational safeguards (privacy by default and by design) to protect personal data against loss or misuse. For instance, your data will be stored in a secure operating environment that is not open to the public. Your personal data will be encrypted by the so-called Secure Socket Layer Technology (SSL) while it is being transmitted. That means, the communication between your computer and our servers will be encrypted using a generally accepted encryption technology, if your web browser supports SSL.

4.4 Links to websites of third-party operators

This Privacy Policy refers to the website www.eurl-residues.eu and its subpages. To the extent our website contains links to third-party websites, our Privacy Policy will not extend to those pages. It is beyond our control whether third-party operators comply with data protection rules and regulations.

5. Storage period / Miscellaneous

Unless provided otherwise, your data will be stored in accordance with the File Management Rules of the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety. The retention periods are set forth in the Disposal catalogue. This provision also applies to electronically stored data.

The data listed under 5.2 will be deleted after 30 days.

Automatic decision-making on a case by case basis, including profiling, (Art. 22 of the GDPR) will not occur.

6. Your rights

Being a data subject, you may assert the following claims against the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (Controller within the meaning of the GDPR: Art. 2 of this Privacy Policy):

6.1 Right of access – Art. 15 of the GDPR

You have the right of access to any data processed in connection with you, its origin and recipient(s) as well as the purpose of processing and duration of storage. The exceptions from this right set forth in section 34 of the Federal Data Protection Act shall apply.

6.2 Right to rectification – Art. 16 of the GDPR

You have the right to rectification with regard to inaccurate personal data concerning yourself.

6.3 Right to erasure – Art. 17 of the GDPR

In addition, you have the right to have your personal data erased by the Controller. However, this is only possible if the personal data concerning you is no longer needed, if it is unlawfully processed, or if the corresponding consent was withdrawn.

The exceptions from this right set forth in section 35 of the Federal Data Protection Act shall apply. If your data cannot be erased or deleted due to the specific type of storage in the context of automated data processing operations, or if this would require a disproportionate amount of effort, and if your interest in the erasure is to be deemed insignificant, you may not claim and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety is not obligated to erase or delete your personal data. In this event, the right to erasure will be substituted by the restriction of processing.

6.4 Right to restriction of processing – Art. 18 of the GDPR

Furthermore, you have the right to restrict the processing. The right to restrict the processing will enable you to temporarily prevent the further processing of personal data relating to you. In particular, the restriction will apply during the period in which other rights exercised by you are examined.

Where processing has been restricted, such personal data shall, with the exception of storage, only be processed with your consent, or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims, or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person, or for reasons of important public interest of the Union or of a Member State.

6.5 Right to portability – Art. 20 of the GDPR

The right to portability includes your right to obtain any personal data relating to you in a commonly used, machine-readable format from the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, if necessary, to pass them on to another Controller or to obtain the right to have the personal data transmitted directly from one controller to another, to the extent this is technically feasible.

In accordance with Art. 20, par. 3, sentence 2 of the GDPR, you are not entitled to this claim if the data processing operations serve the fulfillment of public tasks. With respect to the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, this rule will only apply when data is processed for fiscal purposes.

6.6 Right to object – Art. 21 of the GDPR

Furthermore, you have the right to object to data processing. If you object to the processing of your personal data, your personal data will not be processed any longer.

Pursuant to section 36 of the Federal Data Protection Act, this right shall not apply when a public authority is required to carry out processing operations under a statutory provision. With respect to the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety this is the case with regard to the public tasks assigned to it which it has to carry out.

6.7 Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority – Art. 77 of the GDPR

In the event that you perceive an infringement on your rights regarding the processing of your personal data by the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.

You may contact the data protection supervisory authority responsible for the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, The Federal Officer for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, as follows:

Der Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit
Graurheindorfer Straße 153
53117 Bonn

Telephone: +49 (0)228-997799-0
Telefax: +49 (0)228-997799-5550
Email: poststelle@bfdi.bund.de

This is a courtesy translation of the privacy policy of the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety which is intended solely as a convenience to the non-German-reading public. If any questions arise related to the accuracy of the information contained in the translation, please refer to the official German version of the document. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes.

Privacy policy information for specific technical tasks of BVL is available in German language only at: https://www.eurl-residues.eu/datenschutz

For further information please consult the BVL’s general privacy policy: bvl.bund.de/privacy-policy