Jeremy Clarkson is a good ambassador for farming, according to a poll of more than 1,500 people.
More than 1,500 people responded to polls on Twitter and Instagram, with an overwhelming 95 per cent having a positive view of the TV star.
Farmers Guardian editor Ben Briggs said: "For farming, Jeremy Clarkson has played a dual role.
On the one hand he is boosting the industry’s profile among the public and on the other he is talking in a straightforward and direct manner about the challenges so many face, whether it is mountains of red tape, profitability or, in this series, the horrors of bTB.
"He may be a polarising figure for some, but he is wildly popular for many more and that certainly helps farming’s cause."
Following year two of the celebrity and self-confessed ‘amateur’ farmer’s countryside venture, Diddly Squat, the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm focuses on his new beef enterprise and the trials and tribulations that go with it.
Along with the light-hearted moments featuring misbehaving cattle, some parts struck a sombre tone as the realities of farming in a bTB hotspot were conveyed.
When a local dairy farmer told Clarkson one of her in-calf heifers had just gone down with the disease, meaning she had now lost half of her herd, agriculture’s newest patron had this message to viewers: “That is what life is like for many cow farmers struggling with TB – soul destroying,” Clarkson said.
One episode also gave an insight in to the stress and anxiety surrounding bTB testing and the tense, agonising wait for the results. Another showed Clarkson taking part in a study to test road-killed badgers for bTB.
Wildlife
Ahead of the series airing, Clarkson told journalists it was important to communicate to the public the seriousness of the disease and the role wildlife plays.
“That was one of the most difficult areas to cover because the badger is much-loved by most people in the country,” he said.
“We thought, 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 would lose your core audience, the farmers, if you went around, saying, ‘look at these sweet little animals’.
“So, I 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.”
But Clarkson and his young contractor mentor Kaleb Cooper also showed off the fun and glamorous side of farming when they were honoured at the British Farming Awards.
Flying the Flag for British Agriculture
The annual prize-giving, run by Farmers Guardian’s parent company AgriConnect, saw the farming duo receive a special award for Flying the Flag for British Agriculture after arriving at the Birmingham venue in a Lamborghini. Watch the video here
Series two also documents Clarkson’s lengthy battle with his local planning authority as he attempts to get his diversification – an on-farm restaurant – off the ground and local residents’ anger over the major traffic jams sparked by visitors flocking to his farm shop.
In one episode, Clarkson suffers a deep cut to his thumb when using a mandoline to cut home-grown potatoes for his crisps enterprise. Filmed being ‘sewn back together’ by a plastic surgeon, Clarkson tells the camera: “Proof that cooking is more dangerous than farming.”
Criticism
And he does not hold back in his swingeing criticism of the Government’s handling of changes to agricultural policy.
Highlighting cuts to farm subsidies and the lack of detail around payment for public goods at the time of filming, he said: “It’s like FIFA saying, ‘We’re having new rules in football next year.’ ‘What new rules?’ ‘We don’t know what they are, but there are going to be new rules’.
“Well, you can’t prepare for that. How could you possibly prepare for next year’s farming when you don’t know what you’re going to get paid for?”
Series two launches on Friday, February 10 on Prime Video.
