A family-run farm in Sussex has received hundreds of death threats on social media after being mistaken for a US farm at the centre of an animal cruelty video.

Fair Oak Farm in Mayfield, East Sussex, came under fire this week when Twitter, Facebook and Instagram users mistook it for Fair Oaks Farms dairy farm in Indiana.

The latter has come under intense scrutiny after undercover footage released by an animal rights group revealed newborn calves being abused by employees. The video shows them being dragged along by their ears, thrown into plastic enclosures and being hit with milk bottles.

But Ian Ledger, who runs Fair Oak Farm thousands of miles away, said his family have received at least 300 messages from angry animal-lovers who have mixed up the two farms. Many of the messages are abusive and threaten violence.

"One person wrote 'We're coming for your throats'," Ian told The Daily Telegraph. "My biggest worry is that, in the click of a finger, we will lose our reputation.

"We're a little family business and have built it up ourselves but it could be lost overnight."

Fair Oak Farm is an award-winning countryside retreat offering visitors the chance to meet a variety of rare breed animals - including lambs, alpacas, peacocks, peahens and chickens. Famous guests include US A-listers and UK celebrities including Made in Chelsea's Binky Felstead.