Jeremy Clarkson fires back at claim he's 'not a real farmer' after 'heartbreaking' Diddly Squat update

Olivia Gantzer

By Olivia Gantzer


Published: 09/10/2025

- 18:14

The former Top Gear star was forced to defend himself online following a sad farming update

Jeremy Clarkson forcefully defended his agricultural credentials on social media after a user suggested his claim to be a farmer was "not strictly accurate" and that "everyone knows it".

The exchange began when Mr Clarkson commented on X about the Prime Minister's trade mission to India, prompting the critical response about his farming status.


The television presenter responded sharply: "Been up a couple of hours already doing job and now I'm sending some cows off and then I'm going to do some rolling. That doesn't sound much like embroidery does it."

The presenter, who has operated the Cotswolds farm since 2019 after purchasing it in 2008, made these remarks whilst dealing with a devastating loss at Diddly Squat Farm.

His defence came as the farm faces its most challenging period yet with a bovine tuberculosis outbreak.

The former Top Gear presenter announced on Instagram that Diddly Squat's first-ever calf had been put down whilst carrying twins due to bovine tuberculosis.

"This was the first calf ever born at Diddly Squat. And this morning she was destroyed, while pregnant with twins, because she has TB. So sad," Mr Clarkson wrote alongside a photograph of the animal.

The loss represents another severe setback for the farm, which has battled a TB outbreak since earlier this year.

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Jeremy Clarkson's farming was questioned online

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The Grand Tour star previously told The Times that the disease had created massive operational challenges, preventing the farm from functioning as a normal business.

The outbreak has forced the conversion of grain storage barns into isolation facilities for affected cattle, with buying and selling of livestock now prohibited due to the farm's official TB status.

Messages of solidarity poured in from both farmers and viewers following the announcement, with many expressing their understanding of the agricultural industry's harsh realities.

One Canadian dairy farmer wrote about the heartbreak of herd culls, describing how farmers work with their animals "from life to death, day in day out" and how the livestock become integral parts of their lives.

Another penned: "Very sad indeed, the compassion Mr Jeremy Clarkson shows animals in this increasingly horrible world is very heart warming and I for one are very grateful to him a brilliant man

"I want to express my deepest sympathy to you, Jeremy, and to all the English farmers whose herds are affected by this terrible disease," another began before adding: "I am a farmer too and I produce milk, I live in Italy.

"I know how much pain you feel, how much sadness and frustration, because despite their efforts, farmers are powerless in the front of these diseases.

"Farmers receive satisfaction in dribs and drabs, but problems come in truckloads. Take courage, I offer you my deepest esteem for showing the daily reality of our work, which is carried out with so much sacrifice."

Jeremy ClarksonJeremy Clarkson is currently filming the fifth season of Clarkson's Farm at Diddly Squat | AMAZON

"Oh no this is so sad. Why is there no vaccine yet? And why can’t the twins be delivered first? Surely it can’t pass to the calves can it @jeremyclarkson1??" another wrote.

Someone else added: "Destroyed is the word used in farming terms, and it’s heartbreaking to see your herd being destroyed, months of love and attention, hard work etc, I understand what @jeremyclarkson1 is going through, my grandad had to do the same, if anyone can remember the foot and mouth epidemic it was soul destroying, obviously some townies and snowflakes don’t get the gist of what he’s going through."

Lisa Hogan, Mr Clarkson's partner, echoed his sentiments on social media, writing: "Our first calf born on the farm, pregnant with twins, was taken off to be destroyed this morning. TB is savage for farmers."

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Lisa Hogan also shared her thoughts on the heartbreaking update

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The agricultural crisis has significantly disrupted filming schedules for the Prime Video series, with the fifth series having recently completed production for release next year.

Writing in The Sun, Clarkson indicated the programme would take a break following the upcoming series, though he confirmed farming operations would continue.

He acknowledged the exhausting nature of recent months, noting that whilst editors might extract humorous moments for the show, the reality at the farm had been gruelling.

Despite stepping back from filming temporarily, Mr Clarkson affirmed his commitment to the farm, stating he would be joining his colleague Kaleb in the fields after finishing his writing duties.