Federated Farmer's national president is relieved an Australian animal rights website has now removed the addresses of hundreds of Southland farms.
About 1700 Filipinos work on dairy farms such as this one in New Zealand. Photo: RNZ / Rachel Graham
Katie Milne said she was alerted yesterday that the activist group, Aussie Farms, had listed Southland farms on an online map, which already pinpointed thousands of Australian agricultural properties.
Ms Milne said she could only assume Southland farmers had been targeted by the group because of recent activity by environmentalists in the region who had been raising concerns over winter grazing practices there.
The animal rights group said the map allowed people to view farms themselves and make informed choices as consumers, but Australian farmers have called it an invasion of privacy.
Ms Milne said she was not sure why the group had now taken the New Zealand farms down, but she was glad it had.
She said farmers were trying to do their best and didn't want to be targeted, especially at a stressful time of year when they were in the middle of lambing and calving.
"No one ever wants to be targeted for doing legitimate practices," Ms Milne said.
