But the organisation is equally aware that many allegations would go uninvestigated by authorities without this kind of subterfuge, said RSPCA NSW chief executive officer Steve Coleman.

It was a catch-22.

The practice of secretly filming farms came under fire late last year when footage depicting alleged animal cruelty was published and passed to authorities by Animal Liberation NSW three months after it was filmed.

In June this year, NSW Primary Industries minister Katrina Hodgkinson told state parliament she had grave concerns about the "ends-justifies-the-means attitude of these animal rights criminals" who trespassed on farms to obtain footage.

"They are willing to break the law, trespass on other people's properties, run the risk of spreading animal disease by breaking biosecurity protocols, cause needless death to young animals as collateral damage, and stage-manage their own videos by provoking fear in animals to get good footage," she said.

She had received a complaint from the owners of Blantyre Farms in Young, who had been targeted by Animal Liberation NSW three times during April and May.

Owner Edwina Beveridge told Ms Hogkinson she had been vilified on the activists' Facebook page after going to the media with her story and publicly complaining about the trespasses.

She called for offenders to be punished for breaking into the sheds to illegally film pigs and staff.

"About a month ago we discovered hidden cameras in our piggery... These people are not about animal welfare; they have broken our quarantine rules, put our whole herd at risk of disease and unsettled our pigs in their midnight visits," she told Ms Hodgkinson. The incident had resulted in the deaths of about 30 piglets.

She had since sought an apprehended violence order against Animal Liberation NSW chief executive officer Mark Pearson.

Magistrate Peter Dare SC said at the time in Young Local Court that Ms Beveridge objected to people entering her property with the intention of exposing her to ridicule.

"This woman just wants to be left alone," he said. "She doesn't want people breaking onto her property and filming and making videos." 

The magistrate warned of dire consequences if the practice continued.

"But some time, some farmer is going to catch someone on their farm and something nasty is going to happen." 

RSPCA NSW CEO Steve Coleman told the Tribune the organisation would never support illegal activity to get results.

"In our view, if people are going to do illegal things, it ends up with two results; it's near-on impossible to use that footage, particularly in the absence of a statement from the person who took it", and so it could not be used as evidence in court.

But sometimes without these kinds of complaints, offences would never come to light and prompt investigations from authorities.

"It's a frustration, but we'll never support illegal activity, ever."

He was also concerned when there was a delay in footage being handed on to authorities.

"If footage is obtained legally or illegally, but not provided to authorities until months later, then their motives have to be questioned."

He believed the general public did not support illegally filming farmers, but equally, cruelty to animals was abhorred.

"That's where we come in, in the middle of that is an organisation like the RSPCA."

The Tribune contacted Animal Liberation NSW for comment but did not get a response prior to deadline.