PIP COURTNEY, PRESENTER: The heightened public interest in animal welfare issues has not only affected the live cattle trade. The pork industry says farmers are being traumatised by animal activists.

Andrew Spencer from Australian Pork Limited recently told Landline laws need to be toughened to protect farmers. Here's a reminder of what he said.

ANDREW SPENCER, AUSTRALIAN PORK LIMITED (Landline, May 25): These activists are illegally entering farms, they're illegally taking footage, they're illegally leaving, in some cases, surveillance devices to spy on people. Then they post these on websites and they are viciously defaming people unreasonably.

There is definitely a gap at the moment in terms of appropriate protection for our pig farmers and other intensive producers through the law compared to how the average citizen would expect to be protected in their own home, in their own property, from someone breaking in and planting a hidden camera in there, for example.

PIP COURTNEY: Sometimes these raids do lead to charges being laid. One case, involving Wally's Piggery, goes back to the NSW District Court tomorrow. But these cases have exposed tensions between animal rights groups and the RSPCA, which is critical of organisations not handing evidence over to authorities. The RSPCA's NSW CEO, Steve Coleman, spoke earlier to Peter McCutcheon.

PETER MCCUTCHEON, REPORTER: Mr Coleman, welcome to Landline.

STEVE COLEMAN, RSPCA NSW: It's a pleasure.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: How widespread is this problem of animal rights groups not reporting alleged breaches to the RSPCA or police?

STEVE COLEMAN: Look, our experience is that it's increasing, particularly in the last couple of years and I think some of that perhaps is down to the introduction of new technology that is becoming more and more available and as a result at least our experience is that we've seen an increase in this type of activity.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: One particular example is the campaign by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, the campaign against the entire Australian wool industry alleging welfare breaches. What concerns did you have about that campaign?

STEVE COLEMAN: Well our concern is always that by the time we receive these sorts of pieces of information, it's our experience that there's some time between when this activity occurred and when it's actually reported. Part of that frustration is that it's by and large released to the public in the first place.

Now, the public look at that footage or that information, as we do, and consider that to be absolutely disgraceful with what's being depicted on that video.

The challenge for us as a regulator is that we must make sure that we conform to the rules of evidence and sometimes some of that footage isn't admissible.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: Now, PETA says in relation to its campaign that it did notify the RSPCA and that the communication problems were your end. Is that the case?

STEVE COLEMAN: The case right now is that 12 days from now, in fact, that particular footage that we believe was taken in NSW will become statutory-barred. So that means that any offences that were contained within that footage beyond 12 months ago, we have no ability to bring that before the courts.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: Unlike the RSPCA, some of these groups have an overall agenda of trying to shut down entire industries. They report cruelty that they say is systemic and common. Do you have any evidence to support that?

STEVE COLEMAN: What I can say is that of all the investigations that we undertake, around about 1 per cent of those end up before the courts. Our view is that, by and large, incidents like these are in the minority. In saying that though, we're always actively encouraging the public, business owners, farmers, whoever has a level of control or responsibility over an animal or animals, that if they're concerned about the treatment of those animals, they should bring it before one of the regulators, including the RSPCA, to investigate.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: But do you agree that if it weren't for the covert filming some of these alleged animal welfare breaches may have never come to light?

STEVE COLEMAN: Look, it is a fact that some of the pieces of footage that we've received over the years has resulted in a prosecution. That's a fact. What we also try and actively encourage these same farmers, or the farming industry, is that if they have any concerns about the way in which their animals are being treated, be it mistreatment or otherwise, to make contact with the RSPCA and let us help and support and guide those industry representatives in making sure that the animals are treated appropriately.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: What's your view of the move in some US states and in even parts of Australia to introduce tougher laws against covert filming of intensive animal agriculture, the so-called ag-gag laws?

STEVE COLEMAN: I think every farmer, every business owner has a right to conduct legitimate operations. That's a fact.

What's really difficult is getting the balance between being a transparent industry and informing the public. I can't think of a time when the divide between city dwellers and those that live in the country - it's a divide that I think, I think is getting wider and wider.

And one of the challenges around that is, we believe, from an RSPCA perspective, that every industry, including those that maintain and manage intensive and extensive animal operations should be transparent, we should be doing our level best to make sure that everyone that consumes those products absolutely knows how and why those animals are managed the way that they are to the best of their ability and to the highest welfare standards available.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: So what's the RSPCA's position on ag-gag laws?

STEVE COLEMAN: Any person concerned about the treatment of any animal should bring that before one of the regulators, including the RSPCA. One of the biggest concerns that the RSPCA has about ag-gag laws is the law of unintended consequences, and that is, if shutting down or seemingly closing down the otherwise transparency of an industry, that in itself causes what we would consider to be an unintended consequence by the public in their being fearful of the fact that industry have got something to hide.

Our belief is that that's not the case, but I think there's a lot more discussion that needs to occur. And I think we can find a sensible outcome, but again, farmers have a right to undertake legal business operations. That's only right.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: Do you think producers in Australia are doing enough to make themselves transparent?

STEVE COLEMAN: I don't think we can ever say that we're ever doing enough in that regard. If we can help organisations become more transparent, if we can help inform and advise the general public - and I have to say that I think by and large, particularly in the cities, there is a level of ignorance as to where our food comes from and how it's actually managed, how it's farmed, and if we can help farmers help communities in understanding and learning exactly how their products that they are out there purchasing and consuming, how they are actually raised, how they're managed, we think there's more to do.

PETER MCCUTCHEON: Mr Coleman, thank you for your time.

STEVE COLEMAN: Thank you.