The reaction to a travel blogger's video, criticising New Zealand farming, has been so negative that she feels fearful in this country.

Kristin Lajeunesse, a vegan travel blogger, was left in tears at the sight of sheep on an Interislander ferry. She uploaded her reaction in a video on Facebook.

Farming groups, the trucking firm and Kiwi Rail had no problem with the practice.

WTV VEGAN/FACEBOOK Vegan travel vlogger Kristin Lajeunesse cries at the sight of livestock on the Interislander.

"I came to the back of the boat because I thought it would be, you know, beautiful" Lajeunesse said at the beginning of the video.

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As she ventured outside, she was caught off guard by a truck filled with live sheep.

LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff.co.nz American blogger Kristin Lajeunesse travels the world promoting the vegan lifestyle.

"I'm sorry," she said to the sheep. "I just feel so helpless."

The blogger came to New Zealand on a junket paid for by Vegan Travel. Her videos, photographs and articles would be shared by the company.

The video had been viewed more than 320,000 times. It was originally going to show the stunning Picton harbour, but after seeing the sheep Lajeunesse said, "it seems kind of meaningless now."

After sharing the video, Lajeunesse was sitting at a Wellington cafe and overheard people discussing her post.

"It's been the most overwhelming and negative thing I have ever experienced," she said.

"Either it's respective of the fact that it's quite a small community and small country, or..."

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The backlash had made her feel anxious while travelling New Zealand. "It actually made me feel a little fearful," she said.

A spokesman for Gordon Transport, the firm filmed moving the sheep, said nothing was unusual about what Lajeunesse​ saw.

"This happens everyday of the year," he said.

WTV VEGAN/FACEBOOK Gordon Transport filmed carrying livestock across the Cook Strait.

The spokesman wouldn't say where the sheep were headed. He finished the call saying: "please don't give this any more attention... New Zealand doesn't need this."

Federated Farmers' national meat and fibre chair, Rick Powdrell, said the sheep would be heading to the nearby slaughterhouse or to greener pastures, away from the drought in North Canterbury.

There was a slaughterhouse only 10 minutes away from the Wellington ferry terminal, he said. For some farmers, the Wellington meatworks was closer than other South Island slaughterhouses, which meant travelling on the ferry was more humane, he said.

MARK TAYLOR/FAIRFAX NZ Federated Farmers' national meat and fibre chair, and animal welfare co-chair, Rick Powdrell.

According to Powdrell, there was no issue with the sheep in the video. They were settled, packed correctly and had plenty of air, he said.

A Kiwi Rail spokesman said all animals were transported safely on board its Interislander ships.

For Lajeunesse though, the bigger issue was that animals were still being killed for food.

"It's 2016, we don't need to be using animals in that way, we don't need them for food, we have amazing alternatives."

Although the reaction to her video came as a shock, Lajeunesse said she may still come back.

"I need to be here to explore why there has been such a backlash," she said. This video had garnered the biggest reaction out of all of her posts, she said. She hoped it would "help the community" by putting the spotlight on livestock farming.

Some commentators who viewed her video agreed that the livestock trucks driving around New Zealand were a disgrace.

A local who often travels on the ferries said it was time to stop the practice. "Bring on a vegan world so this suffering ends asap!"

Another tourist said she'd seen the same thing while travelling between Wellington and Picton.

"I went down to see them, poor babies."

Other commenters were more concerned with vegetables ...

Lajeunesse​ would be leaving New Zealand "in a few days", after visiting some animal rights activists in Hamilton who save bobby calves.

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