THE Federal government has stepped up in the wake of the Aussie Farms "attack map" by placing the website under the Privacy Act, which exposes it to potential penalties of more than $400,000 if it breaches the the rules.
Despite the move it didn't deter vegan activists from going ahead with their planned protests on Monday, which were an attempt to be the largest animal rights protests in the world.
Melbourne's city traffic came to a standstill when hundreds of protestors blocked a major intersection, causing chaos for Victorian commuters.
A group also staged a sit in at a Queensland abattoir, chaining themselves to rails until the owner gave them what they wanted - to release three sheep.
Federal Agriculture and Water Resources Minister David Littleproud said "animal activists may have successfully disrupted traffic and some farming operations, but they've turned many Australians off their cause".
"If the aim was to stop traffic they've succeeded, but if the aim was to convert Australians to veganism then these people did huge damage to their cause," Mr Littleproud said.
"Fair-minded Australians find this behaviour extreme.
"Invading people's properties is not the Australian way.
"These are family homes and children live here.
"Federally, we've done our bit - we've brought Aussie Farms and its attack map for activists under the Privacy Act, so that misuse of personal information results in enormous fines.
"Now the States must beef up trespass laws so serious penalties apply for invading farms.
"I have no problem with any person's choice to be vegan - vegans eat plenty of farm produce too - but making farmers scared of property invasions and stopping honest people getting to work shows no respect and wins no friends."
WA Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan said it was important to keep calm and "not give activists the oxygen they crave".
"These activists are not winning themselves any support with their actions - while they have a right to protest, they don't have a right to intimidate and disrupt our farmers," Ms MacTiernan said.
"The State government is working on reforms to further support farmers, including allowing courts to impose restraining orders on activists, and stronger laws around live streaming videos."
Ms MacTiernan said last month's prosecution of two animal activists for trespass in WA served as a warning that police and the courts would take action against trespassers.
"Farmers dealing with activists at their property should immediately contact police," she said.
"The bigger picture that vegans need to understand is that animals do form a vital part of the plant growing systems - the massive move to the monoculture that would be necessary to have sufficient protein to scrap animals would compromise our ecology.
"This is an argument farmers can win on its merits."
- See more on the activist debate in this Thursday's Farm Weekly.
