AGVOCATE Mandy Matthews has had a front row seat to the antics, irrational behaviour and consequences of online trolls and activists who are trying to discredit the sheep live export by sea industry. She said these individuals and groups were determined to portray farmers, exporters, employees of the live export trade and anyone who supports the trade, in a negative fashion. As someone who has been on the receiving end of this behaviour, Ms Matthews said while people may dismiss the actions of these trolls as being mostly harmless, the lasting impact of death threats, bullying by individuals and groups and ignorance of the truth, can result in very serious consequences.
She said it was important for everyone to remember there was another person on the receiving end of personal attacks, something that was easy to forget when they never met them - and the repercussions could be more damaging than many realise. "It is not the language necessarily, it is the tone and the intention or insinuation," Ms Matthews said. "It can also be misinterpreted easily and people are mislead by the false claims or horrific images that are very outdated.
"That is why it is so dangerous." Ms Matthews is a farmer, has her own agriculture contracting business, as well as another business selling high quality Australian and New Zealand Merino wool clothing and products, as well as being a qualified and experienced onboard stockperson for live export vessels - and is a much-lauded social media agvocate.
