Last updated: 22 July 2026

Privacy Policy

Bio Forest

Who we are

Bio Forest operates the website:

https://bioforest.co.uk

In this privacy policy, “Bio Forest”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Bio Forest.

Bio Forest sells reptiles and invertebrate-related products, livefood, tropical plants, bioactive supplies, vivariums and setups. We may also provide animal experiences, private parties, educational visits and event services.

For privacy-related enquiries, contact:

Email: cs@bioforest.co.uk
Email subject: Privacy Request

Our animal premises are not open to the public. Customers must not visit or attempt to return products to our animal premises without prior written arrangements.

Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you use our website and services.

Information provided when placing an order

When you purchase from Bio Forest, we may collect:

• Your name.
• Billing and delivery addresses.
• Email address.
• Telephone number.
• Account username and password, where an account is created.
• The products or services ordered.
• Delivery instructions.
• Order history.
• Payment status and transaction references.
• Communications relating to your order.
• Photographs provided as part of a delivery, damage, condition or dead-on-arrival report.

Payment card details are normally processed directly by the payment provider selected at checkout. Bio Forest does not normally receive or store your complete card number or security code.

Information provided when making a booking

When arranging a party, educational visit, animal experience or event, we may collect:

• The organiser’s name and contact details.
• The event date, time and venue.
• The type of event or booking package requested.
• The approximate number and age range of attendees.
• Access, parking and venue information.
• Information reasonably required to plan and safely deliver the service.
• Payment and booking records.
• Communications concerning the booking.

Please do not provide medical, disability or other sensitive information unless it is genuinely necessary for accessibility, safeguarding or safe delivery of the service.

Where sensitive information is required, we will only use it for the relevant booking and will restrict access to those who need it.

Communications and customer support

When you contact us by email, social media, Discord or another support service, we may collect:

• Your name and contact details.
• Your social media or Discord username.
• Your order or booking number.
• The contents of your message.
• Photographs, videos or documents you provide.
• Records of our response and any action taken.

Customers contacting us about an order should include their order number but should not send payment card details, passwords or unnecessary personal information.

Technical and website information

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

• Your IP address.
• Browser type and version.
• Device type.
• Operating system.
• Pages visited.
• Date and time of access.
• Referral source.
• Cookie identifiers.
• Website error, security and activity logs.

This information may be used to operate the website, maintain security, detect fraud or misuse and understand how the website is being used.

How we use your information

We may use personal information to:

• Process, pack, dispatch and deliver orders.
• Take payments and issue refunds where appropriate.
• Create and manage customer accounts.
• Confirm livestock, live-invertebrate or livefood orders.
• Communicate about an order, delivery, booking or service.
• Arrange and deliver parties, educational visits and events.
• Respond to customer service requests.
• Investigate missing, damaged, delayed or dead-on-arrival reports.
• Prevent fraud, abuse and unauthorised access.
• Maintain the security and operation of our website.
• Meet tax, accounting, animal welfare and other legal obligations.
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
• Improve our website, products and services.
• Send marketing communications where the recipient has consented or where another lawful basis legally applies.

We do not sell customers’ personal information.

Our lawful bases

Depending on the circumstances, we process personal information using the following lawful bases:

Contract

Processing is necessary to:

• Accept and fulfil an order.
• Deliver products.
• Manage a customer account.
• Arrange a party, educational visit or event.
• Provide customer support connected with a purchase or booking.
• Take payment or issue an authorised refund.

Legal obligation

Processing may be necessary to comply with:

• Tax and accounting requirements.
• Consumer protection law.
• Court orders or lawful requests from public authorities.
• Product safety and animal welfare responsibilities.
• Other legal or regulatory obligations applying to Bio Forest.

Legitimate interests

We may use information where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate business interests, including:

• Preventing fraud and misuse.
• Protecting our website, customers, animals and business.
• Keeping appropriate records of customer communications.
• Handling complaints and disputes.
• Improving our services.
• Recovering money owed.
• Establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

We consider whether these interests are proportionate and whether they could unfairly affect your rights.

Consent

We rely on consent where legally required, including for certain:

• Marketing communications.
• Analytics cookies.
• Advertising or tracking cookies.
• Optional website features.

You may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

Customer accounts

When you create an account, we store the information entered within your customer profile.

You may normally view or edit your account information through the website. Certain information connected with completed orders may continue to be retained where needed for accounting, legal, fraud-prevention or dispute-handling purposes.

You are responsible for keeping your login details secure and should contact us if you believe your account has been accessed without permission.

Comments

Bio Forest does not currently intend to operate public website comments.

If public comments are enabled in the future, this privacy policy will be updated before the feature is used.

Media and uploaded files

Customers are not normally able to publish images publicly on the Bio Forest website.

You may be asked to provide photographs privately when reporting:

• A damaged delivery.
• An incorrect product.
• The condition of livestock or live invertebrates.
• A dead-on-arrival claim.
• A packaging or courier problem.
• A problem with a product or setup.

Photographs may contain hidden location information, known as EXIF or GPS data. You should remove this information before sending images where possible.

Images and supporting evidence will only be used for investigating the relevant order, claim, complaint or legal issue.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies.

Strictly necessary cookies

Necessary cookies may be used to:

• Keep products in your shopping basket.
• Remember checkout progress.
• Allow secure account login.
• Maintain website security.
• Prevent fraud.
• Remember privacy and cookie choices.
• Provide services specifically requested by the user.

Some necessary cookies cannot be disabled because the website may not function correctly without them.

Optional cookies

Where enabled, optional cookies may be used for:

• Website analytics.
• Remembering additional preferences.
• Measuring website performance.
• Advertising or marketing.

Where consent is legally required, optional cookies will not be activated until you make an appropriate choice through the website’s cookie controls.

You can change or withdraw your cookie choices using the cookie settings provided on the website. You may also control cookies through your browser, although blocking necessary cookies may prevent parts of the website from working correctly.

Embedded content from other websites

Pages on our website may contain embedded content such as:

• Videos.
• Maps.
• Images.
• Social media posts.
• Payment services.
• Booking services.
• Reviews.
• Other external website content.

Embedded content may behave as though you visited the external provider’s website directly.

The external provider may collect information, use cookies and monitor your interaction with its content. This may include tracking your activity where you have an account with that provider and are logged in.

External providers process information under their own privacy policies.

Who we share information with

We only share information where reasonably necessary to operate Bio Forest, fulfil an order or booking, comply with the law or protect our legitimate interests.

Information may be shared with:

Payment providers

Payment providers process payments, refunds, fraud checks and transaction information.

Delivery companies

Your name, delivery address, contact details and relevant delivery instructions may be shared with Royal Mail or another courier responsible for delivering your order.

Website and technology providers

Information may be processed by providers that supply:

• Website hosting.
• Domain services.
• WooCommerce functionality.
• Website security.
• Email services.
• Cloud storage.
• Technical support.
• Booking systems.
• Customer support and ticket systems.
• Analytics or cookie-management services.

Professional advisers

Information may be shared with accountants, insurers, legal advisers, banks or other professional advisers where necessary.

Authorities and legal bodies

We may disclose information where required by law or where reasonably necessary to:

• Respond to a court order.
• Cooperate with law enforcement.
• Meet a tax or regulatory requirement.
• Protect customers, animals or members of the public.
• Investigate suspected fraud or criminal activity.
• Establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

Business transfers

If Bio Forest is sold, reorganised or transferred, relevant customer and business records may be provided to the prospective or new owner, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data-protection requirements.

International data transfers

Some website, email, payment, social media, Discord, cloud or technical-service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where UK data-protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, we will use an appropriate transfer mechanism or rely on another legally permitted basis.

Information submitted directly to an external platform is also subject to that platform’s privacy policy.

How long we retain information

We retain personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet our legal obligations.

Our normal retention periods are:

• Completed order, payment, invoice and accounting records: normally up to six years after the relevant accounting period, or longer where legally required.
• Cancelled, failed or abandoned order information: normally up to 12 months, unless required for fraud prevention, a dispute or another legal purpose.
• Customer account information: while the account remains active and for a reasonable period afterwards. Information connected with completed orders may be retained separately.
• General enquiries that do not result in a purchase or booking: normally up to 12 months after the last communication.
• Customer service communications: normally up to two years after the matter is closed.
• Complaints, claims and disputes: for the duration of the matter and normally for up to six years after it is resolved.
• Event and booking records: normally for up to six years after the service is completed where needed for accounting, insurance, contractual or legal purposes.
• Sensitive information provided for a particular event: deleted or anonymised when it is no longer required for the event, safeguarding, insurance or legal purposes.
• Website security and technical logs: normally for up to 12 months, unless they are needed to investigate a security incident or misuse.
• Marketing information: until consent is withdrawn, the person unsubscribes or we determine that the information is no longer current.

Information may be retained for longer where required by law, taxation rules, insurance requirements, an active investigation or legal proceedings.

When information is no longer required, we will delete it, anonymise it or securely restrict its use.

Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• Ask for confirmation that we process your personal information.
• Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Ask us to delete information where there is no lawful reason to continue holding it.
• Ask us to restrict how information is used.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Object to direct marketing.
• Request transfer of certain information in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
• Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Some rights are subject to legal limitations. For example, we may need to retain order or transaction records to meet tax, accounting, fraud-prevention or legal requirements.

Making a privacy request

To exercise your rights, email:

cs@bioforest.co.uk

Please use the subject:

Privacy Request

Include enough information for us to identify the relevant account, order, booking or communication. Do not send passwords or full payment-card details.

We may request reasonable proof of identity where necessary to prevent personal information from being disclosed to the wrong person.

Automated decision-making

Bio Forest does not intend to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects based solely on automated processing.

Payment and fraud-prevention providers may carry out automated security or fraud checks under their own privacy policies.

Children’s information

Purchases and bookings must be made by an adult.

Our educational visits, private parties and animal experiences may involve children, but we do not intentionally collect personal information directly from children through the website.

Parents, guardians, schools and event organisers should only provide information about a child where it is genuinely necessary for accessibility, safeguarding or safe delivery of the service.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from:

• Unauthorised access.
• Accidental loss.
• Misuse.
• Alteration.
• Disclosure.
• Destruction.

No website, email service or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Customers should use strong, unique passwords and avoid sending sensitive information through unsecured messages.

Complaints

Please contact Bio Forest first so that we have an opportunity to investigate and resolve your concern.

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your personal information has been handled unlawfully.

Changes to this privacy policy

We may update this privacy policy when:

• Our website changes.
• We introduce new products, booking services or payment methods.
• We change service providers.
• The law or regulatory guidance changes.
• Our information-handling practices change.

The latest version will be published on this page with the updated date shown at the top.