Dairy farmers should be protected from vegan activists who try to stop them running their businesses, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has said.

Speaking at the National Farmers' Union conference, Mr Gove said he thought it was "perfectly respectable" for people to choose to give up meat and dairy for health, ethical or environmental reasons and express their views on it.

But it is "wrong" for them to try to stop dairy farmers carrying out their legitimate business, he said.

He was challenged by reporters over the fact he congratulated TV presenter and activist Chris Packham, who has become an ambassador for "Veganuary" which promotes a vegan diet, for receiving a CBE in the New Year Honours.

But he said: "Chris Packham is an outstanding campaigner, for nature and a recognition of taking wildlife more seriously in this country than we have done in the past.

"I don't agree with all Chris's positions, you wouldn't expect me to. I'm not a vegan myself, but I do think it's perfectly respectable for people, for their own reasons, to make that choice.

"My own view is there is a difference between saying that as for reasons either of ethics or health that you would choose not to drink milk, and then impeding the proper commercial operation of dairy farming, that is wrong.

"We do need to say people who are producing milk, who are doing it in a legal way, should be allowed to carry on their business without people interfering with it."

He said it was the responsibility of the police and everyone else to ensure there was not the sort of activism that undermines the work of dairy farmers.

"I'm all for people who care about the environment having an opportunity to express their views pungently and clearly," he said.

"But I am absolutely opposed to people who are running proper businesses being stopped from running their businesses and being in fear as a result of people breaking the law."