An animal rights protester was left shaken after claiming truck drivers transporting live cattle dumped cow waste in front of her, verbally abused her and made death threats online following an altercation last Friday.
Taranaki resident Frances Woods joined protesters demonstrating against the livestock ship Yangtze Fortune exporting 3800 live New Zealand cows to farms in China.
But while demonstrating, she alleges truck drivers transporting the live cattle to the ship pulled the fingers and dumped effluent, splashing waste all over the protesters.
The Herald approached the trucking company numerous times for comment.
"We decided to protest where the trucks were taking the feed and live cows to the ship. We were there quite late at night. It was spooky because there was no sign of any mooing. It was like they were sedated," Woods told the Herald.
"There were truck drivers who were pulling the fingers at us. One of the truck drivers had the nerve to dump the effluent right where we were protesting. It was feral. Some of us got splashed," she claimed.
"We eventually decided to call it a night, it was too haunting to see them being shipped off. It was disgusting that they dropped the effluent right next to us. "
On the way home she got caught between two of the cattle trucks and claims one driver dumped cow waste in front of her vehicle.
The Taranaki resident caught the incident on camera, with video showing the truck releasing waste through the streets of New Plymouth.
In the video, one of Woods' friends can be heard shouting "Oh, it splashed in my face!"
Woods says her car was covered in cattle waste.
She then claims she was nearly run off the road by a cattle truck following behind her.
Woods says she felt unsafe and decided to pull over opposite the Hawera McDonald's. This is where she says two truck drivers wedged her in, one parking in front of her and the other behind.
She claims one of the drivers climbed out of the truck and hurled homophobic slurs and verbal abuse at her and her friends.
"We got 40 minutes out of New Plymouth and I noticed the truck behind me was almost ramming me. I was really scared feeling like 'this person could kill us'.
"Eventually we pulled over which meant we ended up pulling over near another truck. Another one pulled up behind us and we were sandwiched between them.
"The truck driver got out of his truck and came over to us and started yelling 'do you want a burger?', trying to antagonise us. They started abusing us saying we're a car-full of lesbians and the cows are off to the slaughterhouse.
"These men were proud with what they were doing to these New Zealand cows, and they wanted to rub it in my face.
"They targetted me simply because I care about animals. It was foul. I was so angry."
Wood then followed the two truck drivers into McDonald's where she was filmed confronting the two men.
"There are cows on that f***ing ship and they're alive and they have souls!" Wood can be heard screaming.
"And you don't give a f*** all of you in this room, but I hope when you die, you get to meet all those souls." She yelled.
As Woods was asked to leave the store, the two truck drivers can be heard taunting her.
McDonald's confirmed there was an incident between Wood and other customers at Hawera McDonald's last Friday evening.
The video of Woods' altercation was then posted on social media. She claims she then received death threats from multiple people including one of the truck drivers.
In an online thread suggesting Woods deserved a "bullet", one of the truck drivers, who admitted online he was involved in an altercation with the protester, responded by writing: "Plastic bag shoved down with a carrot".
Woods told the Herald that while she shouldn't have yelled at the truckies, the whole experience with the drivers and the online abuse was cruel and demeaning.
"The bullying online was overwhelming and cruel. I got told I need to die and I need to be raped.
"I know I shouldn't have yelled in McDonald's but I was yelling for the cows. I don't want to attack dairy farmers, I'm coming at it from an animal welfare angle. The places we export animals to do not have animal standards. It's not natural to put animals on a ship.
"There will be dead animals on that ship. And they get thrown overboard into the ocean. The cyber bullying just shows how detached people have become from humanity."
"There are hundreds of effluent dumping stations available for trucks to use across the country. It is illegal to dump effluent on our roads."
PROTESTING OF LIVE CATTLE EXPORTS
Protesters gathered near Port Taranaki on Friday in a bid to demonstrate against the export of 3800 live cows to farms in China.
China's Yangtze Fortune ship arrived at 12.45pm last Thursday, with SAFE organising a peaceful protest at the Ocean View Parade/Bayly St corner.
Woods was part of another breakaway protest at the Port, taking part in a smaller yet peaceful demonstration.
Although the live export of cattle, sheep, goats and deer for slaughter were banned in 2003, loopholes allow them to be exported for breeding purposes.
SAFE spokesman Will Appelbe told the Herald more than 40,000 cows were exported overseas last year.
"The latest figures show 2.1 million day-old chicks were exported in 2018 and 40,000 cows exported last year. The shipment that left Port Taranaki this weekend was for 3800 cows.
"We also export a lot of live fish, mostly eels. Some of the eel species we export are endangered and native to NZ."
He also revealed a live export ship left Timaru Port on Wednesday but it is not known how many animals were on board.
The Government is currently reviewing the laws surrounding live export of animals for breeding.
Appelbe in a previous statement said SAFE are arguing for a total ban and says New Zealand has no control over the welfare of animals once they leave our shores.
"The reality is we can't impose our animal welfare laws on other countries."
"We have no control over the welfare outcomes of these animals once they leave New Zealand shores."
Woods agrees, saying New Zealand needs to look after its own animals.
"China has such poor animals rights standards and we're sending our beautiful animals over there.
"We have loopholes which allow these animals to be shipped over under the conditions of breeding. But once they reach China no one knows what happens. They'll never touch grass again."
Fire crews were called to Tremaine Ave at 4am to tackle the blaze.