Privacy Statement

1. Privacy Statement

Welcome - you are visiting a Canadian website (the “website”), administered by Bayer CropScience Inc. and its Canadian affiliate entities (“Bayer”). This website is intended for Canadian residents only and is subject to all applicable Canadian laws.

This Privacy Statement outlines how personal information about you is collected, used, disclosed and otherwise processed by Bayer with respect to your use and interaction with Bayer via this website as well as through other online activities involving Bayer products and services.

2. What is Personal Data?

Personal data is information about an identifiable individual. Personal data does not generally include business names and business contact information used in a commercial context.

You can use our website without disclosing your personal data. You are not required to provide personal information as a condition of using our website, except as may be necessary to provide you a product or service at your request. When you visit our website, Bayer collects technical data including the name of your internet service provider, the website that you used to link to our website, the websites that you visit from our website and your IP-Address. This data could possibly lead to your identification if combined with other information that would identify you, but we do not use it to do so. We do use the data from time to time for statistical purposes, but maintain the anonymity of each individual user so that the person cannot be identified. Aggregated, statistical or de-identified data is not personal data. See “Use of Cookies and Technical Data” for more information.

3. Consent to Collection of Data

By using this website or other services and by voluntarily submitting your personal information to us, you are consenting to the practices in this Privacy Statement and any applicable terms of use.

In cases when personal data is provided to others to provide you products or services you have requested, or for other purposes you have authorized, we rely on technical and organizational means to assure that applicable data security regulations are followed.

4. How does Bayer Collect Personal Data?

Generally, we only collect personal data when you provide it to us, through registration, the grower programs, completion of forms or e-mails, as part of an order for products or services, inquiries or requests about materials being ordered and similar situations in which you have chosen to provide the information to us. If you do not want your personal information collected, do not provide it to us.

Bayer may also collect personal data about you from our sales, advertising and business partners. If you interact with our website or other digital features, we may automatically collect technical data about you. This data may be combined and enriched with other identifiable information. See section 10 – Use of Cookies and Technical Data for more.

5. What type of personal data does Bayer collect?

Examples of personal data we collect and use are:

Contact information, such as full name, email address, telephone number and mailing address;
Usernames and passwords;
Business and professional information, such as title, practice, specialty, education, certification, accreditation, association;
Demographic information including age, gender, images and videos;
Consumer and professional preferences and comments, including with respect to Bayer services;
Information submitted through Bayer call center;
Information you provide when you contact us, provide feedback, make a complaint or other inquiry;
Product and service related information concerning the products and services that we provide to, or receive from, you;
Information about farmers’ farming practices;
Credit and financial information such as your payment preferences; and
Business relationship information, including information related to your agreements, preferences, advisors and decision-makers, feedback and information requested by or provided to you.

6. How do we use the data?

The data we collect will be used for the purpose of supplying you with the requested services or for other purposes for which you have given your consent, except where otherwise provided by law. For growers, retailers, agronomists, researchers, scientists and other business partners, the information we collect is primarily to continue and improve our client relationship with you. The information collected assists in maintaining our client relationship management databases. Other purposes may include:

Creating and managing your user account;
Providing our programs, research programs and events;
Providing you with information related to Bayer products or services;
Meeting our obligations required by applicable laws;
Analyzing the accuracy and effectiveness of our website and services, including administering, troubleshooting and enhancing the website and services;
Analyzing data, identifying trends and issues and creating statistical reports;
Administering contests, promotions and surveys;
Testing and analyzing our services for efficacy, safety and enhancements;
Responding to inquiries, complaints and other communications;
Enabling the review of products and services that we provide to you so we may understand your requirements for our products and services and work to improve our products and services;
Enabling the review of products and services we obtain from you so that we may work with you and you may understand our requirements for such products and services;
Complying with your requests (for example, if you prefer to be contacted at a business or residential telephone number and advise us of your preference, we will use this information to contact you at that number);
Protecting us against error, fraud, theft and damage to our goods and property;
Enabling us to comply with applicable laws or regulatory processes;
Identifying the unauthorized external transfer of our data assets (including intellectual property) from within Bayer; and
Any other reasonable purpose to which you consent.

The data we collect may be used to contact you via e-mail or by regular mail for purposes identified above and other purposes for which you have provided us with consent. See “Your Options” to learn what choices you have.

7. Does Bayer share or disclose personal data?

Bayer may share and disclose personal and technical data in the following circumstances:

Bayer Network: Bayer is part of the Bayer Group - a global company. Bayer may transfer any information received to one or more of its affiliated companies in other countries and regions of the world. We do not sell or transfer the information you send to us to others outside of our company unless we have obtained your consent.

Service Providers: Like many businesses, Bayer uses third party service provides to assist in administering and providing the website and our services. Providers assist Bayer in data storage, website hosting, marketing, customer service, mailing, etc. Your personal data will not be passed by our service providers to and for use by third parties in any form whatsoever, unless we have obtained your consent or are legally required to do so.

Legal Requests and Obligations: Bayer may disclose personal data when required by law, such as to respond to court orders, subpoenas or other legal processes by authorities with jurisdiction.

Business Transfer: Bayer may transfer or assign your personal data as a result of, or in connection of a merger, consolidation, change in control, transfer of assets, bankruptcy, reorganization, liquidation or other business transaction.

Further, your personal information may be disclosed:

As permitted or required by applicable laws or regulatory requirements;
To protect the rights and property of Bayer including intellectual property rights;
During emergency situations or where necessary to protect the safety, health or security of a person or group;
Where the personal information is publicly available; or
With your consent.

8. Where is Data Stored?

The database in which data containing personal information associated with use of this website and the contents of such database remain within the Bayer Group or within data processors or servers acting on our behalf and responsible to the Bayer Group.

Some of this data may be stored or processed at computers located in other jurisdictions, such as the United States and Europe, whose data protection laws may differ from the jurisdiction in which you live. Subject to applicable laws in such other jurisdictions, we will ensure that appropriate protections are in place to require the data processor in that country to maintain protections on the data that are equivalent to those that apply in the country in which you live.

9. How long is Data Retained?

We only retain personal data for as long as is necessary for us to render a service you have requested or to which you have given your consent, except where otherwise provided by law (e.g. in connection with pending litigation).

10. Use of Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

Bayer and our third-party service providers set and use cookies and similar technologies to store and manage user preferences, enable content, gather analytic and usage data, and deliver targeted advertising. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on a computer or other device and is used to identify the device and to collect information. Cookies are typically assigned to one of four categories, depending on their function and intended purpose:

Strictly necessary cookies. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. Of course, you may use our Website without any cookies being set. In your browser, you can at any time configure or completely deactivate the use of cookies. This may, however, lead to a restriction of the functions or have adverse effects on the user-friendliness of our Website.
Analytical cookies. These cookies help us to analyze your use of our Website. The information collected in connection with your use of our Website (e.g. the referring URL, our webpages visited by you, your browser type, your language settings, your operating system, your screen resolution) will be transmitted to a server of our supplier, where it will be stored and analyzed. The respective results will then be made available to us in anonymized form. Your usage data will not be connected to your full IP address during this process.
Functional cookies. These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting cookies. We and our partner will use this information to better tailor our advertisements to you and your interests, to limit the number of times you are shown the same advertisement, to evaluate the efficiency of promotional campaigns, and to better comprehend the behavior of visitors after they have looked at a certain ad. When you visit another website of the Advertisement Network, customized pop-ups tailored to your interests can be presented to you on the basis of the information collected on our Website. You can find more information below on advertising, including your choices with respect to these cookies.

Most browsers are set up to accept cookies automatically. You can deactivate the storing of cookies or adjust your browser to inform you before the cookie is stored on your computer. Because an industry-standard Do Not Track protocol is not yet established, Bayer’s information collection and disclosure practices and the choices it offers to consumers will continue to operate as described in this Privacy Statement regardless of a “do not track” choice made by the consumer.

You may choose to opt-in or opt-out to cookies at anytime by selecting the Cookie Settings button located in the footers of this website. A detailed description of the optional cookies we use can be found in the table here.

Analytics and Marketing

Through the use of cookies and other technologies described above, we, and our third-party service providers on our behalf, may analyze how you use our website to develop insights to optimize website use and improve personalized site experiences, communications and marketing. You may opt out of this tracking and analysis at any time by altering your cookie settings and/or deleting cookies. More information on these opt-outs is provided below.

We may also use personal data for analytics and marketing purposes, including analyzing your use of and activity on our websites. If you choose to create an account on our website, we may offer and you may elect to participate in certain analytics, communications, and marketing programs, including coupon or rebate programs and other special offers. If you opt in, we may collect such personal data from you as demographic, contact, and preference information from your account profile, as well as from your interactions on the website, such as through quiz responses or other interactive features. This information could include personal data such as name, address, email or other data that could be used to identify you as an individual. We may also enhance or merge this data with the cookie data we collect across websites or receive from third parties to create a more complete profile for a more customized user experience. This information would be stored in a secure database within the Bayer environment and would not be shared with any third party without your prior consent. You may control your preferences directly on your account and revoke consent to future participation in these analytics or marketing programs at any time.

While we do leverage the information we collect in aggregate to deliver more relevant advertisements and offers to you on other third-party websites as you navigate the Internet, we do not share your personal data with any third-party vendor or website owner for their own marketing purposes unless you have otherwise provided with your consent to do so.

Google Analytics

Our website uses third-party service providers, including Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States (“Google”).

Bayer and our service providers will analyze your use of our websites on our behalf. To this purpose, we use, among others, the cookies described above. The information collected within the Google Analytics platform in connection with your use of our websites (e.g., the referring URL, which of our webpages you visit, your browser type, your language settings, your operating system, your screen resolution) will be transmitted to a server of Google in Canada, where it will be stored and analyzed by Bayer’s service providers; the respective results will then be made available to us. During this process, your usage data may be connected to you if you are logged in to your website account. If you are not logged in to a website account, however, your usage data will not be connected to your full IP address – we have activated on our website the IP anonymizing function offered by Google, so that the last 8 digits (type IPv4) or the last 80 bits (type IPv6) of your IP address are deleted.

You may withdraw your consent to the use of web analysis at any time either by downloading and installing a Browser Plugin offered by Google or by configuring your browser to delete and reject cookies. Both options will prevent the use of web analysis only if you use the browser on which you installed the plugin.

For further information on Google Analytics, please refer to the Google Analytics Terms of Service, the Google Analytics security and privacy principles, and the Google Privacy Policy.

Website Analysis with Adobe Analytics

If you provide us with your consent, we use a web analysis service of Adobe Systems Software Ireland Limited, 4-6 Riverwalk, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24, Republic of Ireland (“Adobe”) on our website to evaluate your use of our website, to compile reports on the website activities and to receive further services from Adobe in connection with the website and internet use. For this purpose, we use the cookies described in more detail in the table here. The information collected by Adobe in connection with your use of our Website (e.g. the referring URL, our webpages visited by you, your browser type, your language settings, your operating system, your screen resolution) will be transmitted to a server of Adobe in Ireland, where it will be stored and analyzed. The respective results will then be made available to us in anonymized form. Your usage data will not be connected to your full IP address during this process. We have activated on our Website the IP anonymizing function offered by Adobe, which will replace the last octet of your IP address by zeroes before conducting approximate geolocation and subsequently we replace your IP address by a generic IP address before storing the dataset. An access to your data by Adobe Systems Inc., 345 Park Ave., San Jose, CA 95110 located in the USA (“Adobe Inc”) cannot be excluded.

Adobe Inc. is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield, which ensures that an adequate level of data protection is maintained with respect to the processing of personal data by Adobe Inc. in the USA. For further information please visit: http://www.adobe.com/de/privacy.html. You may withdraw your consent to the use of web analysis at any time, either by downloading and installing the provided Browser Plugin http://www.adobe.com/privacy/opt-out.html or by administrating your consents in the table here, in which case an opt-out cookie will be placed. Both options will prevent the application of web analysis only as long as you use the browser on which you installed the plugin and do not delete the opt-out Cookie.

Social Media

Bayer uses social media accounts (including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram) to engage with the public. Our social media accounts are produced and maintained by Bayer, sometimes working with service providers. Through our social media engagement we are able to build online awareness about our company and our products; respond to messages through the comment, message, or chat functions; collect aggregated information about interactions with our content on or through social media; analyze trends; identify and profile brand advocates and key influencers; and conduct social media listening of conversations about our company and our products. When you engage with us through our social media channels, the platform providers will also process information about you. For further information, please consult the privacy policy of the platform provider.

External services or content on our Website

We include third-party services and/or content on our Website. When you use such third-party services or when third-party content is displayed, communication data are exchanged between you and the respective provider for technical reasons.

The respective provider of the services or content may also process your personal data for own additional purposes. To the best of our knowledge, we have configured the services and content of providers known to process personal data for own purposes in such a way that either any communication for other purposes than to present their services or content on our Website is blocked, or communication only takes place once you have actively opted to use the respective service. However, since we have no control over personal data collected and processed by third parties, we are not in a position to provide binding information regarding the scope and purpose of such processing of your personal data.

For further information regarding the scope and purpose of such processing of your personal data, please consult the privacy statements of the providers whose services and/or content we include and who are responsible for the protection of your personal data in this context:

Transfer of personal data for commissioned processing For the processing of your personal data we will to some extent use specialized service contractors. Such service contractors are carefully selected and regularly monitored by us. Based on respective data processor agreements, they will only process personal data upon our instruction and strictly in accordance with our directives.

11. How is Data kept Secure?

The Bayer Group uses technical and organizational security precautions to protect your data from manipulation, loss, destruction or unauthorized access, use, disclosure or alteration. Third parties that process personal data on behalf of the Bayer Group are contractually obligated to safeguard data and only use the data provided to them for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Statement.

Our security procedures are continuously revised based on new technological developments.

12. Children

In light of the importance of protecting children's privacy, we do not collect, process or use on our website any information relating to an individual whom we know to be under 13 years old without the prior, verifiable consent of his or her legal representative. Such legal representative has the right, upon request, to view the information provided by the child and/or to require that it be deleted.

Bayer does not intend this website for child audiences, and has no intention of collecting personally-identifiable information (such as name, address, telephone number) from children under 18 years old. If you discover that your child has provided us with personally identifiable information, we ask that a parent or guardian of the child contact us at AskUs@cropscience.bayer.ca to have this information deleted from our records.

13. What About Third Party Links?

Our website may be linked from another website, or have links to other websites such as social media platforms. This Privacy Statement only relates to our collection and use of your data on this website and we are not responsible for the privacy policies and practices of other third party websites, including from any provided links. If you would like information on any other party’s privacy policy, you should contact that party directly, and we encourage you to do so.

14. Your Options

Access and Update Requests: You have the right to review and amend any personal data stored in our system. Just send your request in writing to: AskUs@cropscience.bayer.ca. When requesting access to your personal information, please note that we may request specific information from you to enable us to confirm your identity and right to access as well as to search for and provide you with the personal information that we hold about you.

Bayer will provide you with access to your personal data that is in our possession, subject to certain exceptions, including data that is referenced to another individual’s personal information that we cannot sever, or information subject to solicitor-client privilege, or other legal restrictions that may prevent us from fulfilling your access request.

Your right to access the personal information that we hold about you is not absolute. There are instances where applicable law or regulatory requirements allow or require us to refuse to provide some or all of the personal information that we hold about you. In addition, the personal information may have been destroyed, erased, or made anonymous in accordance with our record retention obligations and practices, as required or permitted by applicable law.

In the event that we cannot provide you with access to your personal information, we will endeavour to inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions.

Interest based Advertising: If you no longer wish to participate in the services offered through these solutions, you can opt-out of this activity by visiting the:

Network Advertising Initiative at http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/, and
Digital Advertising Association of Canada at http://youradchoices.ca/choices/.

If you opt-out, please note you may still receive ads from Bayer but they are not part of targeted advertising.

Opt-out of promotional communications: In the event you wish to unsubscribe from receiving promotional communications from Bayer, you may opt-out by:

Removing yourself by clicking “unsubscribe” at the bottom of an email we send you, or
Contact us at: AskUs@cropscience.bayer.ca

If you opt-out of receiving marketing-related emails from us, we may still send you important administrative messages, such as notifications regarding our business relationship with you, important notices regarding our services, or as otherwise consistent with applicable law.

Right of Cancellation: You have the right at any time to withdraw your consent to the use of your personal data in the future. Again, just send an e-mail to the address given in the imprint or contact the Privacy Officer or the Data Security Officer at the information below.

15. Contact Us

If you wish to know what information we have in our files about you, ask a question about the information in your file or request a change to the information in your file, please contact:

Privacy Officer
2920 Matheson Blvd E
Mississauga ON, Canada L4W 5R6
Email: jacqueline.degagne@bayer.com
Phone: +49 (0) 30 468 16924

16. Changes

Bayer may change certain parts to this Privacy Statement from time to time, so be sure to check this Privacy Statement regularly. Any changes to this Privacy Statement will be communicated promptly on this page. Please contact the website administrator with any problems, questions or suggestions that you may have. The constant development of the internet requires occasional adjustments to our privacy statement. We retain the right to make changes when necessary.

17. Interpretation of this Privacy Statement

This Privacy Statement includes examples but is not intended to be restricted in its application to such examples, therefore where the word 'including' is used, it shall mean 'including without limitation'.

This Privacy Statement does not create or confer upon any individual any rights, or impose upon Bayer any rights or obligations outside of, or in addition to, any rights or obligations imposed by Canada's federal and provincial privacy laws, as applicable. Should there be, in a specific case, any inconsistency between this Privacy Statement and Canada's federal and provincial privacy laws, as applicable, this Privacy Statement shall be interpreted, in respect of that case, to give effect to, and comply with, such privacy laws.

Last updated: March 11, 2020