He has a beef cattle breeding herd of 50 cows on his farm, which has belonged to his family since 1853.

Trespass issues are familiar to his family - in 1958 an employee stole 453 sheep to sell at BenaIla and pay money owed to a livestock agent.

Aged 24 at the time, Mr Evans had to identify the stolen sheep under cross examination after the thief was charged with sheep stealing.

He is one of more than 200 people and organisations to have made a submission to the Victorian government's inquiry into animal rights activism.

The inquiry is looking into the prevalence of trespassing and the impact on farmers.

A public hearing will take place in Wangaratta in October.

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Mr Evans said the legal system should be the only way people take action if they believe there is mistreatment occurring.

"If illegal, cruel or in any way inappropriate actions are taking place in any part of society, certainly including farms, it is not the right of an unconnected individual to unilaterally take corrective or punitive action," he said.

"Unilateral action is best called 'anarchy' or perhaps 'mob rule' and on this score alone needs to be controlled by strong legislation with suitable penalties for illegal breaches."

Activists have claimed the need to trespass to protect the wellbeing of animals, but Mr Evans said they ignore the increasing need for livestock producers to meet high standards of biosecurity "and may even introduce disease as an act of sabotage".

"I have no effective control over persons invading my land without permission," he said. "Cattle on my farm are treated with care - I often refer to the cows as my girlfriends and the kids.

"My wish is to produce a good product, and to do so I must take care for them physically and deal with any of the many health problems they may face."