At least three protesters have been arrested at a battery hen farm in Dunedin.
Twenty campaigners from the Coalition to End Factory Farming blocked the entrance to Mainland Poultry at Waikouaiti earlier today.
Two women had suspended themselves from seven-metre-high steel-framed tripods and a third chained herself to the main gate. Access to the poultry farm is now open again, with the tripods dismantled.
Police say the three women aged 22, 33, and 43 were arrested and face charges of obstructing a public way. They have been bailed to appear in court at a later date.
Police say they asked the protestors to come down and the protestors eventually agreed, on the condition that police helped with cutting the chains which secured them to the structure.
At about 1.30pm police cut the chains and used a cherry picker to get the protestors down. Police say the protestors did not resist.
The protesters had earlier caused problems for feed trucks trying to enter the farm which had to find an alternative route.
"Police seem to have a plan to bring activists down from tripods," said SAFE campaign director Eliot Pryor earlier today. "[They're just] waiting for equipment to arrive."
Mr Scott said they were protesting against the new colony cage system that the company is using.
"An undercover investigation of Mainland Poultry's new colony cage system by Open Rescue in March revealed that hens are still suffering inside cages," said the spokesman.
"They witnessed tens of thousands of birds crammed into colony cages which are nothing more than modified battery cages."
The group said around 20 people were protesting.
According to activist Dierdre Sims, the group was suspended from the top of steel towering tripods on the road and chained to a gate, forming a blockade. They only came down when forcefully removed.
"By design, any attempt to remove the tripods, will put our lives at risk," she said.
Activists said they maintained their blockade for as long as possible before having to be physically removed.
A spokesman for Mainland Poultry said that although the road block was an inconvenience, workers are continuing to operate at the plant.
He said access to the road was more necessary this afternoon in order to get feed for the hens in and out of the facility so the animals did not starve.
There were also concerns for the safety of the protesters, with gale force winds in the area this afternoon.
3 News/RadioLIVE