Farmers are being urged to lobby their MPs to demand the government to better protect rural businesses targeted by malicious communications and fake reviews.
The Online Safety Bill, which is currently progressing through parliament, aims to make the internet a safer place.
One of its measures will create a new offence of ‘False Communications’: making it unlawful to tell lies online that harm people.
While rural campaigners are supportive of that intention, they warn that posting false information with the intention of causing financial harm or reputational damage would not be criminalised.
In recent years, vegan activists have started attacking rural and farming businesses involved in pursuits they disagree with by posting fake reviews, including on TripAdvisor and Google.
They pretend to be legitimate reports on the quality of the businesses’ products or services, but usually, the culprits have never bought anything from them.
The Countryside Alliance, one group which is urging farmers to lobby their MPs, said these fake reviews can be 'devastating' to the reputation of a business, as well as to the mental health of the people who run it.
Although any business can be affected by activists, the group said that farming and rural businesses have been targeted in 'particularly virulent attacks'.
In 2018, Suffolk farmer Jonny Crickmore had to block "hundreds of vegans" who left abusive messages and reviews, including death threats directed at the family-owned farm.
Meanwhile, Marlow Butchers, based in Ashford, Kent, were targeted that same year, with activists splattering red paint on the doors and windows of the shop. It also suffered a mountain of online abuse.
Baroness Buscombe, a Conservative Peer, has tabled amendments to the Online Safety Bill which would ensure that posting malicious reviews will become an offence that can readily be prosecuted.
The Countryside Alliance has also launched an online e-lobby tool, which urges individual MPs to contact Michelle Donelan, who is the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Polly Portwin, a spokeswoman for the group said: “It is very important that ministers understand the justified concerns so many farmers have about such ideologically motivated campaigns against businesses and accepts the amendments.
“We’ve made this easy with our online e-lobby tool, it takes seconds to make your views known”.
