Ulster farmer abused by vegans for delivering dairy products to vulnerable

Chris Wilson runs Streamvale Open Farm near Dundonald, and posted his appeal on Facebook on Thursday.

He said that he and wife Helen had received messages lambasting their decision to deliver dairy products to vulnerable people.

As well as being an open farm, Streamvale is also a working dairy farm.

In his video, Chris said: “I’ve been up since four this morning, looking after our animals, looking after our sheep, trying to make sure everything is going OK, and then I was out early delivering dairy products to vulnerable people.

“I’ve been on the road since half four, and will probably be working right through till 10 tonight.

“I’m not saying that because I think I’m doing anything special; there are plenty of nurses and doctors who are doing far more than me.”

Chris said that his wife Helen was “sitting at home devastated because of the attack from vegans that what we’re doing is wrong”, and that he didn’t believe this was right.

He said that accusations had been made that they should not be offering a delivery service.

Comments were also made, he said, about “how marking a sheep with paint so we know it’s a twin or a single is cruel, and how we were going to slaughter these lambs at Easter”, which he described as “just unbelievable”.

He added: “I have no issues if you are a vegan at all, and plenty of people are ... for different reasons, but that’s your choice.

“We are doing our best to survive ourselves through this.

“I’m upset for my wife, who is feeling very anxious over the whole thing, and I don’t think it’s fair.

“If you’re a vegan I have absolutely no issues with that, but don’t feel the need to come on and bombard us with messages.

“I’ll just leave it at that. Let us do what we do, and you do what you do.”

Streamvale is a family business that has been farming on the land there for over a century.

It officially opened its doors to the public as an open farm in 1989.

Visitors can watch the cows being milked and roam the fields, as well as hold baby animals like rabbits, chicks and puppies.

Various shows are also held throughout the day, and there are seven play areas including dog agility and sheep racing, as well as a nature trail to allow patrons to get close to red deer and goats.

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