Twitter has forcefully removed a video that PETA UK had shared of an Irish farmer's young daughter without his permission.
Peter Hynes, who farms in Aherla near Cork with his family, shared footage of his daughter Georgina reading a story to two calves on the farm.
The video was posted last month in response to the Irish government's call for the public to share interesting content of self-isolation amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
But animal rights group PETA UK used the video without permission, with the message: “How adorable! Cows are social animals, like us they recognise their friends and grieve when their family members die.
"Sadly, most cows on dairy farms are slaughtered when they’re 5 or 6. We hope that these babies will be spared the horrors of the abattoir."
Mr Hynes, a father of three, demanded PETA UK to take down the video and issue a public apology.
Dear @PETAUK , you have no permission to us this video which is an infringement under GDPR, I am also disgusted that you are using my daughter to promote yourselves, kindly remove the video immediately ! @BBCNews @SkyNews @rtenews @Independent_ie @VirginMediaNews @Twitter pic.twitter.com/DKEiwHcoct
— Peter Hynes ???????? (@Peterhynes15) March 30, 2020
The inappropriate use of the clip attracted a huge backlash of criticism from farming and rural communities from across the UK and Ireland.
The dairy farmer also created a petition, which attracted over 1,200 signatures, demanding the video to be deleted.
After two weeks of demands made by Mr Hynes and the farming community, Twitter took action and removed the clip last week (9 April).
He has since posted a video on social media thanking those who supported him, with the caption 'we're so proud to be farmers and proud of the food we produce.'
#UpDate Great News ??
— Peter Hynes ???????? (@Peterhynes15) April 9, 2020
We're so proud to be farmers & proud of the food we produce #TeamHynes
If you want to know what happens on a farm, ask a farmer.
Most importantly don't ever be intimidated by anyone #FutureofFarming @Paulahynes4 #FoodArmy #KeepMilkMoving pic.twitter.com/dj05RdqYcn
"If you want to know what happens on a farm, ask a farmer. Most importantly, don't ever be intimidated by anyone," the post said.
