Jeremy Clarkson has hit out at the reports that have emerged in the media after he publicly revealed his farm had fallen victim to an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis outbreak.
The Clarkson’s Farm presenter announced the devastating news on Thursday afternoon, revealing that infected cattle would require culling under government regulations.
The outbreak has particularly tragic implications, as the infected animal is carrying twin calves. Clarkson initially took to social media to share the news on Thursday, writing: “Bad news from Diddly Squat. We’ve gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated.”
The 65-year-old later clarified the nature of the disease, stating: “I should clear this up really. It’s Bovine TB that we have. It doesn’t affect people, just our poor cows.”
Government regulations mandate testing of cattle every six months, with infected animals requiring immediate slaughter to prevent disease spread.
The veterinary examination on Thursday lunchtime confirmed the positive result, triggering mandatory protocols at the 1,000-acre farm.
Further misfortune struck the farm within hours of the TB diagnosis. Speaking on Times Radio on Friday morning, Clarkson revealed: “It’s awful, it is awful. You have a test every six months on the cows and then you sort of become blasé, it’s a hypothetical threat.”
He continued: “And then the vet looks up as he did yesterday lunchtime and said ‘I’m really sorry this one’s failed’. So that means we’re now locked down and it’s just dreadful, absolutely dreadful.”
The presenter then disclosed additional tragedy: “It’s only been not even 24 hours since I found out and it occupies my mind. Well it was occupying my mind but I got up this morning and found one of my puppies has died.”
He added: “And we’ve got a very sickly calf. Honestly, farming? I’m not enjoying it this week.”
Addressing a “lockdown” at Diddly Squat as further testing is carried out, Clarkson laid out a timeline. “Certainly two months because that’s how long we have to wait before we do another test,” he said.
However, despite the livestock lockdown, he did clarify that operations at the Diddly Squat Farm Shop will continue unaffected. The presenter reassured customers: “It’s only cows that get affected by it.”
Despite his reassurance, reports emerged that appeared to suggest Diddly Squat as a whole would be forced to shut, implying that customers to his farm shop wouldn’t be able to visit for the next few weeks.
Clearly irked at the headlines that spread among news outlets, Clarkson took to X to unleash a furious post aimed at certain journalists.
“There’s some wholly irresponsible reporting about the bTB outbreak at Diddly Squat,” Clarkson fumed.
“The farm is NOT shut. We just can’t buy or sell any cows,” he insisted.
There’s some wholly irresponsible reporting about the bTB outbreak at Diddly Squat. The farm is NOT shut. We just can’t buy or sell any cows.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) August 1, 2025
One beast who’ll require further testing is Clarkson’s prized Aberdeen Angus breeding bull, Endgame. Clarkson revealed on social media: “His test was ‘inconclusive’. I couldn’t bear it if we lost him.”
The disease outbreak represents a significant blow to the farm’s livestock operations. Official figures indicate that between April 2024 and March 2025, more than 21,000 cattle were culled across England due to bovine TB incidents.
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The bacterial infection, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, poses one of the greatest challenges facing British agriculture today.
The incident represents another setback for the Chipping Norton property, which has already endured what Clarkson described as the “worst year ever” due to drought conditions and extreme weather affecting crop yields.
The farm, which features in the popular Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm, must now navigate strict biosecurity measures whilst filming continues for the programme’s fifth series.
The farm’s troubles extend beyond disease and livestock losses. Earlier this week, Kaleb Cooper reported the theft of valuable agricultural equipment from the property.
Cooper, who features prominently in Clarkson’s Farm, announced on social media: “My post knocker was stolen last night, as well as the John Deere tractor. Can we please make this as hot as possible? What is going on with England at the moment?”
The stolen machinery includes equipment essential for fence installation work on the farm. The theft compounds an already difficult period for Diddly Squat, which has faced multiple setbacks throughout 2025.
