Owners say closure of popular Gippy Goat Cafe due to ‘abusive vegan activists’

A popular café in Victoria’s Gippsland region has shut up shop blaming the closure on “abusive vegan activists.”

The closure of the Gippy Goat Café comes the same day as vegan protestors undertake a national day of action to promote the one year anniversary of the documentary Dominion.

The announcement from owners John Gommans and Penny Gandar made on the café’s Facebook page claims “staff and customers had been subjected to nearly four months of constant harassment, vile statements and abuse.”

“Our staff have been subjected to daily threats and harassment by phone, and we cannot in good conscience ask them to continue working under such a condition,” the statement read.

The owners also said that the café’s social media and review sites had been targeted by false information and artificially poor ratings.

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The café, which opened three and a half years ago, employed eight people and attracted more than 1000 customers a week in its prime.

Three goats and a lamb were stolen by animal rights activists from the farm in December.

The business owners said their farm would continue to run but would no longer be open to the public.

The closure comes as today’s protest action, hosted by vegan group Aussie Farms, caused commuter chaos in Melbourne’s CBD with animal rights activists overtaking the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets.

The groups website provides a database of abattoirs, poultry farms, dairy facilities and more which provides users with information on the business and its owners and operators.

It allows users to update information, campaign materials, photos and videos to the business profile.

Activists have also let down the tyres of trucks parked at the entrances and exits to three locations across Victoria, including MC Herd at Geelong, Westside Meats at Bacchus Marsh, and O’Connor Beef at Pakenham.

Several other activists filmed themselves blockading the entrance at the Australian Food Group’s pig slaughterhouse in Laverton.