Contributor and Accreditation Terms

These Terms apply when you create, maintain, review or contribute to Proof Records, or when you apply for or hold Proof Accredited Contributor status.

They are built around five rules: record what happened; never manufacture a conclusion; declare who paid and any material conflict; preserve negative, null and inconclusive outcomes; never change the past, add to the record.

Proof Accreditation shows that a contributor has met the requirements for the scope stated.

It does not mean Proof endorses the contributor’s agronomic advice.

1. Who these Terms are between

These Terms are between:

PROOF AG LTD

and:

the person or organisation accepting them.

In these Terms:

Proof, we, us andour mean PROOF AG LTD.

Contributor, you and your mean the person or organisation accepting these Terms.

Where an organisation accepts these Terms, it is responsible for ensuring that people using its Proof account comply with the obligations that apply to them.

2. Related documents

These Terms should be read with:

• the Proof Record Rules;
• the Proof Platform Privacy Notice;
• the Website Terms of Use.

Where these Terms are accepted before production Proof Record services launch, the Proof Record Rules and the Proof Platform Privacy Notice apply between you and Proof as contractual standards from acceptance, notwithstanding their own effective dates.

Where relevant, you may also be subject to:

• a Proof programme agreement;
• statement of work;
• contributor work order;
• confidentiality agreement;
• data-processing agreement;
• research protocol;
• other written agreement.

A separate agreement may add requirements for a particular programme.

It cannot override theprotected Proof Record rulesrelating to:

• record integrity;
• permissions;
• privacy;
• truthful recording;
• no pay-to-influence;
• preservation of inconvenient outcomes.

3. Accepting these Terms

You accept these Terms when you deliberately:

• sign them;
• electronically accept them;
• tick an unchecked acceptance control;
• otherwise enter into an agreement that expressly incorporates them.

Proof must record:

• the version accepted;
• date and time;
• account or person accepting;
• organisation represented, where applicable.

A privacy notice is not a substitute for acceptance of these contractual Terms.

4. Who may contribute

Proof may allow contributions from people including:

• farmers;
• authorised members of farm teams;
• agronomists;
• researchers;
• trial personnel;
• land managers;
• suitably qualified professionals;
• other people with an appropriate authority basis.

Access to particular record types, programmes or accredited functions may be restricted according to:

• role;
• competence;
• qualifications;
• training;
• authority;
• accreditation scope.

5. Basic eligibility

To hold an individual contributor account you must:

• be at least 18;
• have legal capacity to accept these Terms;
• provide accurate identity information;
• use the account for legitimate professional or farm purposes;
• comply with applicable law.

If you act for an organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to act in that capacity.

If you state that you hold a professional qualification, registration or membership, that statement must be accurate.

6. Proof accounts

Your Proof account is personal to you unless it is expressly designated as an organisational account.

You must:

• keep authentication details secure;
• use strong authentication where provided;
• not share personal login credentials;
• notify Proof if you believe an account has been compromised;
• keep material account information reasonably current.

You must not allow another person to create records under your identity.

7. Organisations and individual responsibility

An organisation may administer contributors through an organisational Proof account.

This does not remove the individual identity of the person who performed a material record action.

Proof should be able to distinguish:

• the organisation;
• the individual contributor;
• the contributor’s role;
• the authority basis;
• the action performed.

A company account must not be used to hide who actually created or changed a record.

8. Farm authority

FARM
  │ standing authority
  ↓
CONTRIBUTOR
  │ creates / maintains
  ↓
PROOF RECORD

Separate permissions, granted by the farm:
  ├── Named access
  ├── Programme use
  ├── Group use
  └── Public publication

You must have an appropriate authority basis before creating or maintaining a Proof Record for a farm.

Authority may come from:

• the farm business;
• farmer;
• tenant;
• operator;
• land manager;
• authorised representative;
• research arrangement;
• lawful successor;
• other documented authority recognised under the Proof Record Rules.

You must not claim authority that does not exist.

9. Standing authority

A farm may grant you standing authority for a defined relationship.

Standing authority means you do not need a new authorisation every time you create a record within its scope.

Standing authority should identify:

• the farm;
• contributor;
• relevant role;
• scope;
• applicable record types or work;
• date granted;
• restrictions;
• expiry or review terms where relevant.

By acting under standing authority you confirm that, to the best of your knowledge:

• the authority remains valid;
• your action falls within its scope;
• you are not aware that it has been withdrawn.

10. Authority to record is not permission for every use

Authority to create a Proof Record does not automatically authorise you to:

• make it public;
• permit unrestricted research;
• enter it into every commercial programme;
• give an organisation private access;
• permit unrelated group use;
• sell the information.

Farm authority and Proof permissions are separate.

You must use the permission controls provided by Proof.

11. Changes to authority

You must tell Proof where you become aware that your authority:

• has ended;
• has changed;
• has been restricted;
• is disputed.

Once authority ends, you must stop future activity outside any authority that remains.

Ending authority does not erase legitimate historical contributions or their provenance.

12. Recording honestly

You must take reasonable care to record information honestly based on what is available to you.

You should distinguish where relevant between information that was:

• observed;
• measured;
• declared;
• imported;
• machine-generated;
• calculated;
• estimated;
• reconstructed;
• inferred;
• unavailable;
• unknown.

You do not have to pretend to know something that you do not know.

13. Incomplete records are allowed

A Proof Record may be incomplete.

Missing information is not by itself a breach of these Terms.

For example, a record may legitimately lack:

• pH;
• organic matter;
• weather;
• machinery data;
• historic crop information;
• calibration;
• photographs;
• outcome measurements.

Where information is unavailable, record that state where the interface allows.

Do not invent a value merely to fill a field.

14. Specific programme requirements

A particular Proof programme may require certain information to be captured for a record to contribute to that programme.

If you agree to carry out work under such a programme, you must make reasonable efforts to follow the agreed protocol.

If required information:

• cannot be collected;
• was not available;
• was lost;
• was collected using a different method;
• is unreliable;

you must record that honestly.

Failure to obtain a measurement is not permission to invent one.

A record may remain valid even if it cannot be used for the programme’s intended comparison.

15. Historic records

You may contribute historic records where an appropriate authority or lawful stewardship basis exists.

You must not represent a retrospectively created record as though it was entered contemporaneously.

Where relevant, identify:

• that the record is historic;
• source material;
• approximate dates;
• uncertainty;
• unavailable information;
• who reconstructed the record;
• authority basis.

Historic evidence can still be useful.

Proof does not require old records to meet standards that could not reasonably have been followed when the event occurred.

16. Evidence

Where supporting evidence exists, you should attach or reference it where appropriate.

Evidence may include:

• photographs;
• machinery files;
• field maps;
• laboratory reports;
• soil tests;
• weather information;
• sensor data;
• invoices;
• product information;
• yield files;
• research records;
• other source material.

Evidence must not be deliberately altered to misrepresent what happened.

17. Evidence provenance

Where reasonably possible, preserve:

• original source;
• date;
• author or device;
• source system;
• original file;
• relevant metadata;
• transformation;
• import history.

If a file has been:

• converted;
• cleaned;
• redacted;
• recalculated;
• reformatted;

the transformed version should not silently replace the source as though it were the original.

18. Machinery and automated data

Machine-generated information may contain:

• errors;
• calibration issues;
• missing sections;
• transformations;
• assumptions.

You must not represent machine-generated data as more precise or reliable than the available context supports.

Where a calibration state or known machine issue is relevant and known, it should be recorded.

19. AI-assisted contribution

You may use Proof-approved AI-assisted features where provided.

You remain responsible for reviewing material attributed to you.

AI must not be used to:

• invent an observation;
• invent a field event;
• invent a measurement;
• invent authority;
• manufacture evidence;
• write fictional farmer testimony;
• silently infer missing facts.

If AI extracts information from a source, the source should remain traceable where appropriate.

20. Observations and interpretation

You may record:

• your observation;
• professional judgement;
• agronomic rationale;
• interpretation.

Where appropriate, the record should distinguish these from measured facts.

For example:

Proof does not require legitimate professional judgement to be removed.

It requires the nature of that judgement to remain clear.

21. Outcomes

You must preserve outcomes regardless of direction.

Valid record states include:

• positive;
• negative;
• null;
• mixed;
• incomplete;
• inconclusive.

You must not remove or alter an outcome because:

• a sponsor dislikes it;
• a manufacturer dislikes it;
• it contradicts an expectation;
• it is commercially inconvenient;
• another result would be easier to present.

22. Conflicts and interests

You must disclose relevant interests where they could reasonably affect how someone interprets the record.

Depending on the context, this may include:

• employment;
• commission;
• consultancy;
• product supply;
• product ownership;
• sponsorship;
• research funding;
• advisory relationships;
• financial interests.

Not every remote relationship needs to be declared.

The test is whether a reasonable reader could consider the relationship material to understanding how the record was created or interpreted.

23. Funding

Where a programme, comparison or contribution has been funded, the funding source should be recorded at the appropriate level.

A sponsor may fund:

• contributor time;
• agreed evidence collection;
• programme infrastructure;
• defined field work;
• legitimate analysis.

A sponsor may not buy what the evidence says.

24. No outcome-dependent influence

You must not accept an arrangement under which your payment or benefit depends on:

• a positive result;
• a favourable product outcome;
• suppression of a negative outcome;
• alteration of a record;
• selection of only favourable completed records;
• hiding a material conflict;
• changing an agreed method after seeing results.

If somebody attempts to pressure you to do any of these things, tell Proof.

25. Contributor payment

These Terms do not guarantee paid work.

Where Proof or another organisation pays you for defined contributor work, the payment arrangements will be set out separately.

Payment may reasonably relate to:

• time;
• agreed tasks;
• agreed evidence work;
• programme delivery;
• adherence to an agreed protocol;
• training;
• legitimate expenses.

Payment must not depend on the direction of the outcome.

Where required information genuinely cannot be obtained, the correct response is to record that fact rather than create information to preserve payment.

26. Private farm information

You must treat private farm information appropriately.

You must not:

• disclose it beyond your authority;
• export it for an unrelated purpose;
• sell it;
• use it to build an unrelated dataset;
• reveal exact farm identity where permission does not allow it;
• attempt to bypass Proof permissions.

Your existing professional confidentiality obligations continue to apply.

27. Data protection

Where your contribution involves personal information, you must comply with applicable data-protection law.

Your legal role may differ depending on the activity.

You may act as:

• controller;
• joint controller;
• employee or agent of a controller;
• authorised user;
• processor;

depending on the circumstances.

The label used in Proof does not override the legal reality.

Where you process personal information on behalf of another controller, the required data-processing terms must be in place.

Read the Proof Platform Privacy Notice.

28. Third-party rights

You must have an appropriate right or authority to upload or use material contributed to Proof.

You must not knowingly upload material that unlawfully infringes:

• copyright;
• database rights;
• confidentiality;
• privacy;
• contractual rights;
• another intellectual-property right.

If you are unsure whether you may contribute a particular document or dataset, do not assume that possession gives you the right to upload it.

29. Rights in contributed material

You and relevant third-party rights holders retain existing rights in contributed source material.

By contributing material, you grant Proof the rights reasonably necessary to:

• host it;
• structure it;
• preserve it;
• process it under applicable permissions;
• maintain provenance;
• create authorised outputs;
• operate the service;
• protect record integrity.

This licence does not authorise Proof to ignore the permissions attached to the record.

30. Corrections

If you discover that information you contributed is wrong, you should correct it using the applicable Proof process.

For Draft Records, that may involve editing.

For Locked Records, the earlier version must remain visible in the audit history.

For published records, corrections are made through an Addendum.

Do not attempt to conceal a previous error by silently rewriting the history.

31. Addenda

An Addendum may be used for:

• correction;
• clarification;
• later measurement;
• new evidence;
• new context;
• provenance correction;
• conflict disclosure.

An Addendum should explain what changed and why.

Making an honest correction is not itself misconduct.

Proof wants errors corrected transparently rather than hidden.

32. Proof Accredited Contributor status

Proof may offer Proof Accredited Contributor status.

This is a Proof credential showing that the person has met the published requirements of the Proof recording standard for the stated scope.

It may include verification of:

• identity;
• relevant professional context;
• required knowledge;
• Proof training;
• workflow competence;
• understanding of authority;
• understanding of permissions;
• understanding of provenance;
• understanding of conflict disclosure;
• agreement to the Proof contributor rules.

33. What accreditation does not mean

Proof Accredited status does not mean that:

• Proof endorses your agronomic advice;
• Proof certifies every decision you make;
• you are automatically independent;
• every record you create is correct;
• every recommendation you make is approved by Proof;
• you are accredited for every Proof record type;
• Proof guarantees your professional competence outside the stated scope.

Proof Accreditation is not:

• statutory licensing;
• regulatory approval;
• a replacement for required professional qualifications;
• a general certification of agronomic advice.

34. Scope of accreditation

Accreditation must have a defined scope.

The credential may identify:

• contributor type;
• record type;
• protocol;
• enterprise;
• activity;
• level or capability;
• relevant organisation;
• issue date;
• status;
• renewal date.

A contributor may be accredited for one scope without being accredited for another.

35. Professional qualifications

Proof may require particular external qualifications, experience or professional standing for certain accredited scopes.

Proof Accreditation does not replace obligations imposed by:

• law;
• professional bodies;
• product regulations;
• pesticide rules;
• health and safety law;
• employment obligations;
• other applicable professional requirements.

You remain responsible for maintaining any qualification required for your professional work.

36. Accreditation training and assessment

Proof may require:

• training;
• knowledge checks;
• practical assessment;
• sample records;
• supervised work;
• refresher training;
• evidence of relevant qualification;
• other proportionate conformance checks.

The requirements for each accreditation scope should be published or otherwise made available before assessment.

37. Accreditation status

A contributor credential may have a status such as:

Proof should not present a suspended or expired contributor as currently accredited.

Revocation does not delete the contributor’s history: historical records remain linked to the contributor and the credential state that applied at the time.

38. Renewal

Proof may require accreditation to be renewed periodically.

Renewal may consider:

• training;
• material rule changes;
• conformance history;
• current role;
• relevant qualification status;
• significant incidents;
• required reassessment.

Proof should provide reasonable notice of material renewal requirements.

39. Monitoring and audit

Proof may conduct proportionate monitoring to assess compliance with:

• these Terms;
• Proof Record Rules;
• an applicable programme protocol;
• accreditation requirements.

This may include:

• reviewing selected records;
• requesting relevant supporting evidence;
• checking authority;
• checking conflict declarations;
• checking provenance;
• reviewing addenda;
• investigating unusual patterns.

Audit access remains subject to privacy, confidentiality and permission controls.

A commercial customer does not gain unrestricted access to private records merely because it funded a programme.

40. Incomplete records and conformance

A record is not non-conforming merely because information is missing.

Proof should distinguish between:

Proof should not reward cosmetic completeness over honest evidence.

41. Minor errors

A minor procedural error may normally be handled through:

• correction;
• Addendum;
• coaching;
• additional review;
• retraining.

The existence of an honest error does not automatically justify suspension.

Proof should prefer correction and learning where the integrity risk is low.

42. Material concerns

Proof may investigate where there is credible concern about:

• authority;
• fabrication;
• deliberate misrepresentation;
• undeclared material conflicts;
• privacy breach;
• misuse of private information;
• repeated material protocol non-conformance;
• tampering with evidence;
• sponsor influence;
• abuse of Proof status or branding;
• account misuse.

Proof may request information reasonably necessary to investigate.

43. Interim suspension

Proof may temporarily suspend:

• account access;
• an accreditation;
• a particular accreditation scope;
• participation in a programme;

where reasonably necessary to protect:

• farms;
• individuals;
• evidence integrity;
• privacy;
• security;
• the Proof system;

while a serious concern is investigated.

Interim suspension is not by itself a final finding of misconduct.

44. Accreditation restriction

Proof may restrict accreditation where a concern can reasonably be addressed without full suspension or revocation.

Examples may include:

• additional review;
• reduced record scope;
• supervised contributions;
• retraining;
• temporary protocol restrictions.

Restrictions should be documented.

45. Revocation

Proof may revoke accreditation where serious or persistent non-conformance is established.

Examples may include:

• evidence fabrication;
• deliberate falsification;
• knowingly false authority;
• deliberate suppression of an outcome;
• serious misuse of private farm information;
• repeated material misconduct after warning;
• fraudulent use of Proof status.

Revocation must not be based merely on:

• an unfavourable outcome;
• disagreement with a customer;
• commercial importance;
• criticism of Proof made in good faith;
• an honest incomplete record.

ACCREDITED
     │
     ├── RENEWED
     │
     ├── RESTRICTED
     │
     ├── SUSPENDED
     │
     ├── EXPIRED
     │
     └── REVOKED

46. Commercial importance does not protect status

A contributor’s:

• employer;
• customer value;
• record volume;
• commercial relationship;
• industry influence;

must not prevent Proof from applying the same accreditation rules.

A commercially important contributor does not receive a weaker standard.

47. Investigation process

Where reasonably practicable, Proof will:

1. identify the concern;
2. preserve relevant evidence;
3. notify the contributor;
4. explain the material issue;
5. give the contributor a reasonable opportunity to respond;
6. consider relevant evidence;
7. record the decision and reasons;
8. identify any corrective action;
9. explain any appeal route.

Proof may limit information in a notice where disclosure would:

• expose another person’s private information;
• compromise security;
• breach law;
• prejudice a legitimate investigation.

48. Appeals

A contributor may appeal a material accreditation decision.

The decision notice will explain how.

An appeal may challenge:

• factual error;
• procedural unfairness;
• misapplication of the accreditation rules;
• disproportionate sanction;
• relevant new evidence.

Where reasonably practicable, an appeal should be reviewed by a person who was not the primary decision-maker.

The appeal outcome should be recorded with reasons.

The appeal process does not prevent Proof from maintaining a temporary suspension where necessary to protect evidence, privacy or security.

49. Effect of suspension or revocation on existing records

Suspending or revoking accreditation does not silently delete historical Proof Records.

Existing records retain their provenance.

Proof may:

• show the contributor’s credential status at the time the record was created;
• show a later relevant credential-status event;
• review affected records;
• add a visible query or review state where necessary;
• correct or add information through the applicable Proof process.

If the accreditation issue calls the integrity of particular records into question, those records should be reviewed rather than automatically deleted.

50. Public credential verification

Where Proof Accredited status is used publicly, Proof may provide a credential-verification page.

Subject to the relevant privacy notice, this may display:

• contributor name;
• professional role;
• organisation;
• accreditation scope;
• status;
• issue date;
• renewal or expiry date.

Proof will explain the public credential information before it is displayed.

A contributor must not present an expired, suspended or revoked credential as current.

51. Using Proof Accredited branding

If Proof allows you to use a Proof Accredited mark, you must follow the applicable brand rules.

You must not:

• alter the mark materially;
• imply accreditation outside your scope;
• imply Proof endorsement;
• put the mark on a product in a way that suggests product certification;
• continue using it after the relevant right ends;
• allow another person to use your credential.

Proof may require you to remove inaccurate or misleading uses.

52. Proof Records and professional advice

Proof Accreditation concerns the evidence-recording function.

Your agronomic or professional advice remains your responsibility.

You must not tell a farmer or customer “Proof recommends this.” or “Proof has approved this treatment.” unless Proof has expressly and lawfully made that statement.

A Proof Record documents what happened.

It does not transfer responsibility for professional advice to Proof.

53. Delegation and support staff

You must not allow another person to perform an accredited activity under your identity.

Where support staff legitimately assist with:

• administration;
• file upload;
• transcription;
• data entry;

the system should preserve who performed material actions where appropriate.

If a particular activity requires an accredited contributor, it must be performed or appropriately reviewed by someone holding the required scope.

54. Programme sponsors

A sponsor may:

• define a legitimate question;
• fund agreed work;
• supply product or programme information;
• specify agreed requirements before work begins.

A sponsor may not:

• determine what a valid outcome says;
• instruct you to suppress a legitimate record;
• secretly change the primary method after outcomes are known;
• require false information;
• purchase your accreditation.

Report attempted improper influence to Proof.

55. Confidentiality

Where you receive confidential information through Proof, you must:

• use it only for the permitted purpose;
• protect it appropriately;
• not disclose it without authority;
• not retain unnecessary copies indefinitely.

Separate confidentiality agreements may impose additional obligations.

These Terms do not require disclosure where disclosure would breach a lawful confidentiality obligation.

56. Security

You must take reasonable steps to protect:

• your account;
• private farm records;
• exported evidence;
• confidential files;
• authentication information.

You must promptly report:

• suspected unauthorised access;
• lost credentials;
• accidental disclosure;
• material permission failures;
• other security incidents involving Proof information.

Use /legal/security.

57. Misuse of Proof

You must not:

• manipulate the audit trail;
• bypass permissions;
• scrape private records;
• re-identify protected farms;
• create false Proof Record IDs;
• impersonate another contributor;
• misrepresent accreditation;
• create fabricated evidence;
• use Proof for unlawful surveillance or enforcement targeting.

Serious misuse may result in immediate access restriction.

58. Export and portability

Subject to relevant rights and permissions, you may export records and information you are entitled to receive.

Proof should not make legitimate export conditional on maintaining a paid subscription where core export is part of the free record layer.

Exports remain subject to:

• privacy;
• confidentiality;
• third-party rights;
• applicable permissions.

Ending your Proof relationship does not give you the right to export somebody else’s private information.

59. Leaving Proof

You may stop contributing subject to any specific programme commitments you have separately accepted.

Ending your account does not automatically remove:

• historical contributor attribution;
• locked record history;
• audit events;
• evidence provenance;
• lawfully issued public records;
• group outputs already produced.

Future permissions and access are handled under theProof Record Rules.

60. No employment, agency or partnership

Unless a separate written agreement expressly says otherwise, these Terms do not make you:

• an employee of Proof;
• a worker of Proof;
• Proof’s agent;
• Proof’s partner;
• authorised to bind Proof commercially.

Proof Accreditation does not itself create employment or agency.

If Proof engages you separately as an employee, worker or contractor, that relationship is governed by its own agreement and applicable law.

61. Insurance and professional responsibility

You remain responsible for any professional insurance required by:

• law;
• your employer;
• your professional body;
• an applicable programme;
• the nature of your professional services.

Proof may require evidence of suitable insurance for particular accredited scopes or paid programmes.

Proof Accreditation is not professional-indemnity insurance.

62. Suspension of platform access

Proof may suspend or restrict access where reasonably necessary because of:

• security;
• privacy;
• suspected misuse;
• serious breach;
• legal requirement;
• risk to record integrity.

Where appropriate, Proof will distinguish:

• account suspension;
• programme suspension;
• accreditation suspension.

They do not necessarily have the same effect.

63. Termination by Proof

Proof may terminate a contributor relationship where:

• you materially breach these Terms;
• serious misconduct is established;
• use creates unacceptable security or privacy risk;
• Proof is legally required to end access;
• the relevant service is withdrawn.

Where reasonable, Proof will provide notice.

Immediate restriction may be used where necessary to protect others or the integrity of the system.

64. Consequences of termination

Termination may end:

• account access;
• contributor tools;
• accreditation;
• programme participation;
• use of Proof branding.

Termination does not automatically delete:

• historical records;
• public citations;
• audit history;
• lawful outputs;
• provenance.

Applicable export, privacy and legal rights remain.

65. Service availability

Proof may:

• update contributor tools;
• change workflows;
• improve the standard;
• introduce new schema versions;
• retire obsolete functionality.

Proof will not intentionally use an interface change to silently rewrite a historical locked record.

Material changes to record meaning should be versioned.

66. Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so.

Nothing excludes liability for:

• death or personal injury caused by negligence;
• fraud;
• fraudulent misrepresentation;
• another liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Where you use Proof in the course of a business, Proof is not responsible, to the extent permitted by law, for indirect or consequential business losses arising solely from use of free contributor functionality.

Any financial liability limits applying to:

• paid contributor work;
• programmes;
• commercial services;

should be set out in the relevant separate agreement.

These Terms do not remove liability imposed by applicable data-protection law.

67. Your responsibility

You are responsible for losses or consequences arising from your own deliberate unlawful conduct, fraud or knowing misuse of Proof.

Proof does not make you responsible for:

• an outcome merely because it was unfavourable;
• information genuinely unavailable to you;
• another contributor’s conduct;
• system failures outside your reasonable control.

68. Changes to these Terms

Proof may update these Terms where reasonably necessary because of:

• law;
• platform development;
• accreditation development;
• security;
• privacy;
• evidence from operating the system.

The current version must show:

• version;
• effective date;
• material changes.

Previous versions will remain available at /legal/archive.

Where a material change significantly changes contributor obligations, Proof should provide reasonable notice and require renewed acceptance where appropriate.

A new version cannot retrospectively authorise a use that was not permitted when a record was created.

69. Priority of documents

Where documents genuinely conflict, the following order applies:

1. applicable law;
2. protected rules in the Proof Record Rules concerning record integrity, authority, permissions, privacy, truthful recording, no pay-to-influence and preservation of inconvenient outcomes;
3. a specific signed programme or work agreement;
4. these Contributor and Accreditation Terms;
5. other referenced operating policies.

A commercial agreement cannot override a protected Proof Record rule merely by stating otherwise.

Where a signed agreement conflicts with any other Proof Record Rule, the conflict is resolved under theprecedence clause of the Proof Record Rules.

70. Assignment

You may not transfer your personal accreditation or personal contributor identity to another person.

An organisation may not transfer contractual rights or obligations where doing so would materially affect farm permissions or contributor identity without appropriate review.

Proof may transfer its rights and obligations as part of a lawful corporate reorganisation, merger or sale, subject to applicable legal, privacy and permission obligations.

71. Third-party rights

Unless expressly stated otherwise, these Terms do not give a person who is not a party to them a right to enforce them under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

This does not affect rights that exist independently under law.

72. Severability

If part of these Terms is held to be unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply to the extent permitted by law.

73. No waiver

If Proof does not immediately enforce a right under these Terms, this does not mean Proof has permanently waived that right.

74. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

For contributors acting in the course of a business, the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction unless a separate written agreement lawfully provides otherwise.

Nothing in these Terms removes a mandatory right or jurisdiction that applicable law gives to an individual.

75. Contact

Questions about these Terms:

Accreditation enquiries and appeals

For an appeal, include:

• your name;
• credential or contributor ID;
• decision being appealed;
• reason;
• relevant evidence.