Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 2026

Northumberland Honey Company Limited (“Northumberland Honey Co”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you visit northumberlandhoney.co.uk, purchase from us, create an account, contact us, book an experience or course, purchase live bees or queens, or otherwise interact with our business.

1. Who We Are

The data controller responsible for your personal information is:

Northumberland Honey Company Limited
Company Number: 09432006
Unit 6C, Haltwhistle Industrial Estate
Haltwhistle
Northumberland
NE49 9HA

Email: sales@northumberlandhoney.co.uk
Telephone: 01434 322981

If you have a question about how we use your personal information or wish to exercise a data-protection right, please contact us using the details above.

2. Information We Collect

Depending upon how you interact with us, we may collect information including:

• your name;

• billing and delivery address;

• email address;

• telephone number;

• account and order information;

• products or services purchased;

• payment and transaction information;

• correspondence between you and Northumberland Honey Co;

• information relating to bookings, courses or experiences;

• information relating to trade or wholesale accounts;

• information relating to purchases, collection, delivery or movement of live bees and queens;

• IP address, browser, device and website usage information;

• cookie and analytics information where applicable; and

• other information you choose to provide to us.

We do not normally receive or store your complete payment-card details. Payments are processed through the payment providers made available through our website.

3. How We Collect Your Information

We may receive personal information:

• directly from you when you place an order;

• when you create an account on our website;

• when you contact us by email, telephone, contact form or another communication method;

• when you make a booking;

• when you purchase or collect live bees or queens;

• when you apply for or use a trade or wholesale account;

• automatically when you use our website, including through cookies and similar technologies where permitted; and

• from service providers involved in processing transactions, delivering orders or operating our website.

4. How and Why We Use Your Information

We only process personal information where we have a lawful basis for doing so.

Fulfilling Orders and Providing Our Services

We use personal information to:

• process and fulfil orders;

• take and administer payments;

• arrange delivery or collection;

• communicate with you about an order;

• administer customer accounts;

• provide courses, experiences or other services you have booked; and

• handle customer-service enquiries relating to your purchase.

This processing is generally necessary for the performance of our contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

Running and Improving Our Business

We may use information where reasonably necessary to operate, protect and improve our business, including:

• maintaining business and customer records;

• responding to enquiries and complaints;

• preventing fraud or misuse;

• protecting our website and systems;

• understanding how customers use our website and services; and

• improving our products, services and customer experience.

Where applicable, we rely upon our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Legal and Regulatory Requirements

We may process and retain information where necessary to comply with legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, product-safety, bee-health or other obligations applying to our business.

Where we are legally required to process personal information, our lawful basis is compliance with a legal obligation.

Marketing

Where permitted by law, we may use your contact information to send you information about Northumberland Honey Co products, services or offers.

Where consent is required, we will obtain it before sending marketing communications.

You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time using the unsubscribe facility provided in the communication or by contacting us.

Stopping marketing communications will not prevent us from sending necessary service messages relating to an order, booking or account.

5. Bee Purchases, Bee Health and Statutory Authorities

Where you purchase live bees or queens from Northumberland Honey Company Limited, we may retain information relating to that purchase and the movement of those bees.

This may include:

• your name and contact details;

• delivery or collection address;

• order details;

• date of supply or movement;

• the type and number of bees or queens purchased; and

• other information reasonably necessary to identify or trace the movement of bees.

Honey bees are subject to statutory disease and pest controls.

Where necessary for the investigation, tracing, surveillance, prevention or control of notifiable bee diseases or pests, we may share relevant information relating to purchases or movements of bees with the National Bee Unit, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), an authorised Bee Inspector or another competent authority.

We may disclose such information where:

• we are required to do so by law;

• it is lawfully requested by a competent authority in connection with its public tasks or official functions; or

• disclosure is otherwise lawful and reasonably necessary for bee-health investigation, tracing or disease control.

We will only disclose information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose and will handle that information in accordance with applicable data-protection law.

Depending upon the circumstances, the lawful basis for such processing may include compliance with a legal obligation or, where applicable, a recognised legitimate interest in responding to a request from a competent authority performing its public tasks or official functions.

We do not provide bee-purchaser information to these authorities for marketing purposes.

6. Who We Share Personal Information With

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share information where necessary with organisations that help us operate our business and fulfil our obligations, including:

• payment processors;

• delivery and courier companies;

• website hosting and IT providers;

• ecommerce and website service providers;

• email and communications providers;

• accountants, professional advisers and insurers;

• analytics providers where permitted;

• government, regulatory, law-enforcement or other competent authorities where required or lawfully appropriate; and

• the National Bee Unit, APHA or authorised Bee Inspectors in the circumstances described in Section 5.

Service providers are only given the information reasonably necessary to provide their services.

Where appropriate, we require organisations processing personal information on our behalf to protect it and use it only for the agreed purposes.

7. Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies for purposes including website functionality, security, remembering preferences and understanding how the website is used.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to function. Other cookies, including certain analytics or marketing cookies, will only be used where permitted and, where required, with your consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences through the cookie controls available on our website.

For further information, please see our Cookie Policy.

8. How Long We Keep Personal Information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including where necessary to:

• fulfil orders and provide services;

• maintain appropriate business and customer records;

• comply with tax, accounting and other legal requirements;

• establish, exercise or defend legal claims;

• resolve disputes; and

• comply with applicable regulatory or bee-health requirements.

Different types of information may therefore be retained for different periods.

When information is no longer reasonably required, we will delete, anonymise or otherwise securely dispose of it where appropriate.

9. International Transfers

Some service providers we use may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is lawful and that suitable safeguards are in place where required by data-protection law.

10. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss or destruction.

However, no internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

11. Your Data-Protection Rights

Depending upon the circumstances, you may have rights including the right to:

• request access to personal information we hold about you;

• request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;

• request deletion of your personal information;

• request restriction of processing;

• object to certain processing;

• request transfer of certain information in a portable format; and

• withdraw consent where processing is based upon your consent.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exemptions or other applicable requirements.

To exercise a right, please contact us using the details in Section 1.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

12. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so that we have an opportunity to address them.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data-protection regulator.

13. Children’s Privacy

Our website and online shop are not directed specifically at children and we do not knowingly seek to collect personal information directly from children who are not legally able to provide it.

Where a booking, course, experience or other service involves a child, relevant information may be provided by their parent or guardian where necessary to administer that service.

If you believe a child has provided personal information to us inappropriately, please contact us.

14. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of websites that we do not own or control. You should review the privacy information provided by those organisations before providing them with personal information.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, website, services or legal obligations.

The current version will be published on our website and the Last updated date at the top of this policy will be amended accordingly.

Where a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will take appropriate steps to bring the change to the attention of affected individuals where required.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, how we use your personal information, or wish to exercise a data-protection right, please contact:

Northumberland Honey Company Limited
Unit 6C, Haltwhistle Industrial Estate
Haltwhistle
Northumberland
NE49 9HA

Email: sales@northumberlandhoney.co.uk
Telephone: 01434 322981