This male jersey calf, 'Diego' was bought online by animal rights group the Starfish Bobby Calf Rescue to be re-homed.

The actions of an animal rights group have been labelled "pathetic" by Federated Farmers after it bought a calf online and then arrived at the farmer's property with a camera to film it being collected.

The Waikato jersey breeder was selling surplus calves online when activists from Starfish Bobby Calf Rescue bought the calf. Two members of the group then arrived at the farm to collect the calf with one holding a video camera.

The farmer was initially uncomfortable with the activists filming the collection but allowed the calf to be filmed while it was loaded onto the vehicle. Later on, the farmer changed his mind and asked the filming be stopped and the footage to be deleted. He then informed Federated Farmers what had occurred.

National dairy chairman Andrew Hoggardsaid no farmer wants to be confronted with a camera on their farm regardless of whether they were following best practice or not.

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"Any one of us could have a small snippet of your life taken and come up with a narrative which makes you seem like the worst p***k in the world. You can do that to anyone and it doesn't give a true portrayal of that person or the industry.

"It's pretty pathetic to be honest, sneaking around... putting on this act saying you are a serious calf buyer when in fact you're making up a story that you're 'rescuing calves."

Starfish Bobby Calf Rescue founder, Waikato resident Lynley Tulloch said in hindsight, they should have contacted the farmer and sought permission to film the farm.

"They were very concerned that this will get taken out of context, which I completely understand and we have assured them at the time and subsequent to that, that this would not occur.

"There's no excuse for not contacting them in advance and letting them know and I apologise for any distress caused."

She said the calf's purchase was organised by another colleague within the group. Tulloch, accompanied by two activist one of who was making a film about Starfish's bobby calf rescuing then arrived to pick up the calf.

According to the group's website, Starfish aims to save a small amount of bobby calves from the meat processors to encourage others to think about the issues involved in the farming of animals, and to stimulate debate about alternatives to farming. In 2014 it saved 30 and in 2015, it saved seven calves.

Tulloch said they had no intention of tarring the image of those specific farmers and the video footage has been deleted.

The calf, named Diego, is currently being cared for by Tulloch. It was not a bobby calf but an underweight male calf that was not wanted by the farmer.

Tulloch said while she had not ruled out buying more calves, they would not be filming any more farmers unless they had sought permission beforehand.