JEREMY Clarkson has revealed more bad news from Diddly Squat farm after a “disastrous” harvest.
It comes after the former Top Gear presenter disclosed how his 1000-acre farm in Oxfordshire had been hit with an outbreak of Bovine Tuberculosis.
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Now, Clarkson has spoken out about the problems his farm will face in the harvest season.
He claimed the news should be a concern “for anyone who eats food”.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Clarkson said: “It looks like this year’s harvest will be catastrophic.
“That should be a worry for anyone who eats food.
“If a disaster on this scale had befallen any other industry, there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
When one fan told him that this particular “drama” will make “good TV” in a future episode of Clarkson’s Farm, the former Top Gear star replied: “Yes. But most farms don’t have TV shows to keep them going.”
Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis, which can also infect and cause disease in cats, badgers and dogs.
Jeremy explained how no cows could be introduced to, or leave, the farm until another test can be done on his cattle.
However, the ex-Top Gear host added that a calf had also become unwell following the outbreak.
Jeremy also spoke out about the “enormous” extent of the disruption faced on his farm.
But in some good news for fans, he said the farm shop would remain open and unaffected.
Jeremy Clarkson ‘absolutely devastated’ after latest blow to Diddly Squat farm
Jeremy has been open about the hardships Diddly Squat farm has faced in recent months.
The June heatwave saw Clarkson’s crops wilt in the scorching weather.
He wrote in the Times how hot, and unpredictable conditions had been wreaking havoc on his crops.
Clarkson said: “It used to be reasonably predictable, but it just isn’t anymore. In March Diddly Squat had no rain at all. Not even a drop. In April we got 20mm, which in old money is bugger all.
WIt’s been drier than it was in 1976. And while we do have about thirty springs on the farm, they’re all in the wrong place. So my onions and my beetroots are just sitting in the dust.
“The wheat, meanwhile, is curling up, the barley won’t really get cracking at all and I dread to think what manner of terribleness is being foisted on my poor potatoes.”
Meanwhile, on the latest series of his Amazon Prime show, Jeremy revealed how endless rain had sparked chaos on the farm last year.
Sharing a picture of farmland from a helicopter, the Diddly Squat Farm Shop’s Instagram page wrote: “It’s going to be a rough year. All that seed sowed, drowned with the constant rain.”
This comes after fellow Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper was the victim of soaring tool theft after robbers nicked his £7,000 farm tool.
The farmer turned TV hero, 27, told fans his pricey post knocker, used for hammering in fences, had been stolen from Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire.
Another firm’s £70k John Deere tractor was also taken, with a burnt-out SUV car found down the road.
What is bovine TB?
Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease of cattle and badgers.
It is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) which can also infect and cause disease in many other mammals including humans, deer, goats, pigs, cats, dogs and badgers.
In cattle, it is mainly a respiratory disease.
What are the symptoms?
It is hard to spot bovine TB as the signs are similar to other diseases and normally only develop in the advanced stages.
It is normally picked up in cattle testing before clinical signs develop or during inspections of slaughtered cattle.
Animals can get thinner, have a light fever that keeps coming back, appear weak and have a reduced appetite.
Some will also have swollen lymph nodes, in the neck and a moist cough which is worse in the morning and during cold weather or exercise.
The government states it may cause chronic mastitis, an infection of the udder.
How is transferred between animals?
Evidence of bovine TB is most commonly found in the lymph glands of throat and lungs of affected animals.
They spread the disease mainly through coughing and sneezing.
Bacteria are released into the air and inhaled by other animals in close contact.
The disease can pass from badgers to cattle via close contact – and vice versa.
Contaminated equipment, animal waste, feed and pasture can also transfer the infection.
Can humans catch it from cattle?
Humans can catch bovine TB through:
- unpasteurised milk or dairy products from an infected cow, buffalo, goat or sheep
- inhaling bacteria breathed out by infected animals
- inhaling bacteria released from the carcasses of infected animals or from their excretions (such as faeces)
- Infection is more likely if an unprotected wound is exposed to bacteria from an infected animal.
But the government insists the risk of infection is very low for the vast majority of the population.
Symptoms are similar to human TB, including weight loss, fever, night sweats and a persistent cough.
Anyone who develops these symptoms should consult a doctor.
The disease can be treated by a complex combination of drugs over a long period.
