A militant vegan group has targeted a goat farm in the Isle of Man in a social media campaign of abuse.

Claire Lewis, of the Goat Farm at High Tilt in Kirk Michael, told the Manx Independent how her Facebook page had received a large number of negative comments from members of a UK-based vegan group.

Claire said it began on Saturday night when members of a group called Vegan UK began to comment.

She was alerted by a member of Vegan UK who disagreed with the methods used by some members of the group.

One member of the group had called for Vegan UK supporters to comment and rate the farm’s Facebook page Isle of Man Goats.

Claire said: ’We were targeted through posts and comments but it’s not just us, other farms have been targeted. I also don’t see why a group from the UK is doing it. I doubt they know who we are, know about the farm or what we do.

’I don’t want to get into an argument with all vegans because it is a minute fraction who were responsible.’

The Facebook attack came in the same week the Countryside Alliance warned of increasing numbers of attacks by militant vegan groups which had left butchers ’fearing for their lives’.

In one instance earlier this month, Marlow Butchers, in Ashford, Kent, was targeted by activists who daubed red paint on the doors and windows of the shop.

Claire added that she didn’t want to be caught up in the negativity of the group, preferring rather to focus on her animals and business.

’We have more than 150 goats which live in a low-density environment and enjoy a high quality lifestyle as free-range goats.’ she said.

’Despite the claims, our goats are naturally inseminated.

’We use old fashioned farming with modern knowledge and ways of thinking.’

Claire added that the farm has opened to the public for the past four years and has proven very popular with residents who visit to see the kids and feed them and learn.

In that time, the farm has had school groups, the WI, special needs groups and families who really want to understand what we’re doing.

Obviously, as a working farm, it isn’t all cuddling animals and feeding them.

Claire says: ’We produce really good meat, always from goats at least a year old, and we take them to the abattoir ourselves.

’We don’t mass transport them over long distances. It matters to us what happens to the goats.’

As well as burgers, the farm also produces knitted clothing, including Mohair socks.

She explained that over the years the socks have proved popular an army friend and the Manx made socks have been as far as the Arctic Circle.

Claire says she didn’t get concerned about what keyboard warriors say because Manx farmers were made of strong stuff.