Privacy policy and cookies
Virbac Limited (referred to as “we”, “us”, “our”) respects the privacy of our business contacts, corporate customers, veterinary professionals, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy sets out how we collect, use, and process personal data when you interact with our professional portal/platform (“Site”), in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
This policy applies solely to our Site and not to third-party websites linked to or from our platform.
1. What Personal Information We Collect
We collect personal data relating to individual business representatives, veterinary professionals, practice staff, and trade contacts (“Business Users”):
- Device & Usage Data (automatically collected): IP address, browser type, operating system, time zone settings, page views, clickstream data, and cookie identifiers.
- Business Contact & Account Data: Name, professional job title, practice/business name, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) number (if applicable), professional email address, business telephone number, billing and delivery addresses, and business account credentials.
2. Legal Bases and Purposes for Data Processing
| Purpose | Category of Data | Legal Basis (UK GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Account Creation & Business Verification | Account & Professional Data | Art. 6(1)(b) Contract: Necessary for account setup. Art. 6(1)(f) Legitimate Interests: Verifying professional eligibility (e.g., veterinary surgeon status). |
| Order Processing & Account Management | Account, Order & Transaction Data | Art. 6(1)(b) Contract: Fulfilling B2B orders and providing customer service. Art. 6(1)(c) Legal Obligation: Accounting and tax compliance. |
| B2B Direct Marketing & Product Updates | Business Contact Data | Art. 6(1)(f) Legitimate Interests: Informing corporate clients and professionals about relevant veterinary products, technical updates, clinical studies, and trade offers. You may opt out at any time. |
| Technical Platform & Security Monitoring | Device & Usage Data | Art. 6(1)(f) Legitimate Interests: Ensuring platform security, preventing fraudulent activity, and optimizing performance. |
| Handling Enquiries & Technical Support | Contact & Account Data | Art. 6(1)(b) Contract or Art. 6(1)(f) Legitimate Interests: Responding to professional inquiries and technical product support. |
3. B2B Communications & Custom Audiences
- B2B Marketing Communications: Under UK PECR regulations, we may send marketing and commercial communications to corporate email addresses and corporate employees based on our legitimate interest. Every marketing email contains a clear unsubscribe link.
- Targeted B2B Advertising & Exclusions: We may process pseudonymised (hashed) business contact data to create targeted professional audiences or suppress existing B2B accounts from receiving redundant promotional campaigns on advertising platforms (e.g., LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads). You can object to this processing at any time by contacting privacy@virbac.co.uk.
4. Sharing Your Personal Information
We do not sell personal data. We may share data with authorized recipients only when required for operational or legal reasons:
- Virbac Group Entities: Our parent company, VIRBAC S.A. (France), and international affiliates for centralized system maintenance and administrative purposes.
- Service Providers & Subcontractors: Hosting providers (Upsun), IT support, logistics partners, and communication software tools.
- Legal & Regulatory Authorities: The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), or legal bodies when required by applicable laws.
5. International Data Transfers
When personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom (e.g., to our European parent company or global infrastructure providers), we ensure appropriate safeguards are implemented, such as UK International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs), Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), or statutory adequacy regulations.
6. Data Retention
- Business Account Data: Retained for the duration of the commercial relationship and up to 6 years following account closure to satisfy statutory commercial, tax, and audit obligations under UK law.
- Technical & Session Logs: Retained for up to 24 months for analytical and security compliance purposes.
7. Your Data Protection Rights
Under UK GDPR, individual professionals and representatives have the right to:
- Access, rectify, or request deletion of their personal data.
- Restrict or object to processing (including direct marketing and custom audience profiling).
- Request data portability where applicable.
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) via www.ico.org.uk.
To exercise any rights, please contact us at enquiries@virbac.co.uk or privacy@virbac.co.uk.
8. Cookies & Web Tracking
We use necessary, analytical, and marketing cookies on our B2B Site.
- Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for portal navigation, account login, and transaction management (Legitimate Interest / Art. 6(1)(f) UK GDPR).
- Analytics & Performance Cookies: (e.g., Google Analytics, Hotjar) Used to analyze user behavior, traffic trends, and optimize portal usability. Deposited based on your consent via our Cookie Preference Center (Art. 6(1)(a) UK GDPR).
You can manage or modify your cookie consent at any time via the cookie banner on our Site.
