Jeremy Clarkson may face culling his beloved herd of cows after the ‘devastated’ TV star revealed that Diddly Squat Farm had been hit by a TB outbreak.
The 65-year-old broadcaster and farmer took to X to share the ‘bad news’ on Thursday, stating: ‘Bad news from Diddly Squat. We’ve gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated.’
Amid concern that the outbreak may be affecting members of staff, Mr Clarkson later clarified: ‘I should clear this up really. It’s Bovine TB that we have. It doesn’t affect people, just our poor cows.’
He also revealed that the ‘offending animal’ that had tested positive for TB was pregnant with twins.
In response, one fan asked if Endgame, his prize-winning Aberdeen Angus bull, was infected.
‘His test was “inconclusive”. I couldn’t bear it if we lost him’, Clarkson replied.
In cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle, infected animals are often destroyed to prevent the spread of the infectious disease.
More than 21,000 animals were slaughtered due to a TB incident in England between April 2024 and March 2025, with animals that fail a TB test or have inconclusive results for two consecutive tests killed.
Jeremy Clarkson (pictured) is facing culling his beloved herd of cows after the ‘devastated’ TV star revealed that Diddly Squat Farm had been hit by a TB outbreak. The 65-year-old broadcaster and farmer took to X to share the ‘bad news’ on Thursday
Amid concern that the outbreak may be affecting members of staff, Mr Clarkson later said: ‘I should clear this up really. It’s Bovine TB that we have. It doesn’t affect people, just our poor cows’
One supporter said they hoped his cow and its unborn calves at Diddly Squat Farm (pictured) would recover. Clarkson replied: ‘They have to be culled. It’s the law’. In cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle, infected animals are often destroyed to prevent the spread
One supporter said they hoped his cow and its unborn calves would recover. He replied: ‘They have to be culled. It’s the law.’
Thérèse Coffey, the former environment secretary, previously described culling due to TB as ‘one of the most distressing things that farmers will go through’.
At a reception held by the National Farmers Union (NFU) at Westminster in September 2023, Ms Coffey said that despite the harmful impacts on farmers, the government would be ‘led by the science’ and would ‘cull for as long as we need’ in order to become ‘bovine TB-free’.
The Labour administration previously promised it would stop the cull by 2029, carry out a census of badgers and also develop vaccines for badgers and cattle.
Bovine TB can be infectious to all mammals, including humans, and is mainly transmitted through nose to nose contract or through contact with other infected droplets, such as milk.
Oxfordshire, where the popular Diddly Squat farm is located, is currently graded as an ‘edge area’ for TB. Given it is set between both high and low-risk area, most herds will be subject to TB tests on a six-month basis.
Last year the former Top Gear presenter was visited by Thames Valley Police officers after activists reported blocked setts on his land near Chadlington, Oxfordshire.
Under UK wildlife law it is illegal to damage, destroy, block or disturb badger setts.
Clarkson shared the ‘bad news’ on social media and said the team is ‘absolutely devastated’
Pictured: The broadcaster with his beloved cows. The animal that has tested positive for TB is believed to be a cow, who is pregnant with twin calves
The Labour administration previously promised it would stop the cull by 2029, carry out a census of badgers and also develop vaccines for badgers and cattle. Pictured: Animal rights protesters outside the NFU Conference in 2024, protesting about the badger cull
Clarkson said he told the police who came out to visit him that he had no reason to fill in the setts – because he shot all the badgers instead, seemingly under licence.
The TV host wrote: ‘Mercifully, however, I had the perfect excuse: ‘I’ve shot all the badgers on the farm so why would I want to fill in their setts?’ And yes, before you ask, it was all legal.’
On previous series of Clarkson’s Farm, its star has discussed the threat of TB for his cattle – and went on a rant about ‘b*****d’ badgers.
Clarkson said it was one of the most difficult areas to protect from.
‘We thought, ‘What do we do?’ because if you want to make a popular show you have to say, ‘Oh, look at the little cuddly-wuddly badgers.’ But I thought: no, it’s a farming show, and you’d lose your core audience, the farmers, if you went around, saying, ‘Look at these sweet little animals,” Clarkson said.
‘So, I actually called them b*****ds and showed people what they actually do. It’s truthful.
‘These are not nice animals. Do not be fooled by Brian May. This is what badgers do. This is how much heartache they’re causing to people who’ve worked for generations to build up a farm that’s been wiped out by badgers’, he said in 2023.
Badgers had made an unwanted appearance in the second series of Clarkson’s Farm, which aired on Amazon Prime.
Last year the former Top Gear presenter (pictured) was visited by Thames Valley Police officers after activists reported blocked setts on his land near Chadlington, Oxfordshire. Under UK wildlife law it is illegal to damage, destroy, block or disturb badger setts
Oxfordshire, where the popular Diddly Squat farm is located, is currently graded as an ‘edge area’ for TB. Given it is set between both high and low-risk area, most herds will be subject to TB tests on a six-month basis
One scene saw him told his cows were at risk of contracting TB due to the presence of badgers on the farm, one of which tested positive for the bacteria that causes the disease.
In 2023 Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper held back tears as he discussed the 21 dairy cows he co-owns with a friend on Instagram.
Three contracted Bovine Tuberculosis.
Kaleb admitted in a video: ‘Now today’s a bit stressful. Today I’ve just found out the place where I have my dairy cows – the 21 cows that I bought – has got three reactors to TB.’
‘I don’t really know how to describe the emotion. I know I mean it’s not all my cows and I don’t know how he [the other owner] feels – but it’s hard.’
He continued: ‘It’s not good. Three reactors, so, therefore, we’ve got to test again in two months’ time. That’s three cows we’ve lost that are milking.’
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told The Telegraph: ‘Bovine TB is a devastating disease that destroys farmers’ livelihoods. Our hearts go out to all farms suffering from positive cases.
‘The Government and its agencies are working hard to introduce measures to reduce the spread and paying compensation to farmers who lose animals to this disease.’
‘We are determined to eradicate bovine TB, rapidly rolling out badger vaccinations to help protect farmers’ livestock.’
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