Activists who break in to farms to secretly film suspected animal cruelty are being targeted by tough new biosecurity measures, triggering fears that severe abuse will remain hidden.

It follows a series of incidents in which animal welfare advocates trespassed on to piggeries and abattoirs to obtain undercover footage – in some cases recording horrific treatment that led to operations being closed down.

Barnaby Joyce says he is working with his state counterparts to crack down on animal activists using illegally obtained footage. Credit:Getty Images

Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce told the NSW Nationals annual conference in Queanbeyan at the weekend that state and federal governments were acting jointly to protect farmers from camera-wielding “vigilantes”.

It comes after calls by farmers and the Australian pork industry for harsher penalties for activists who illegally enter farms.