Jeremy Clarkson has told followers he’s ‘absolutely devastated’ after learning they have a case of bovine tuberculosis on Diddly Squat farm.
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one of the biggest challenges facing the cattle farming industry in the UK and all infected animals have to be put down.
The former Top Gear presenter, 65, shared news that the infectious disease had been detected in his cattle, in a post to X on Thursday (July 31).
‘Bad news from Diddly Squat,’ Clarkson wrote. ‘We’ve gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated.’
When Clarkson clarified that by TB he meant bTB, @knox_ryder77 replied saying they hoped the cows recovered soon. Clarkson then explained: ‘They have to be culled. It’s the law.’
Meanwhile, @robjohnsonrj1 shared their commiserations in the comments sections, writing: ‘Been in that situation in the past! Devastating as the heard could well have to be culled. Feel for you JC let’s hope the offending beast can be quarantined and culled.’
Clarkson replied to share that the ‘offending animal’ that had tested positive for TB was pregnant with twins.
When a follower asked after Endgame, an Aberdeen Angus bull that Clarkson bought in his Amazon Prime show Clarkson’s Farm, the TV presenter said the cow’s test had been ‘inconclusive’.
He added: ‘I couldn’t bear it if we lost him.’
Clarkson had previously saved Pepper the cow from being sent off to an abbatoir, after initially going back on a promise he made to care for her to Rosie, the five-year-old daughter of Pepper’s former owner.
The TV presenter turned famed farmer and his partner Lisa Hogan were then left heartbroken when a group of piglets on the farm suddenly died.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk and other press, Clarkson shared: ‘You don’t say, “Let’s buy some pigs and hope they die,” I’ve always liked pigs.’
What is bovine tuberculosis?
Under British law, animals with bTB have to be put down because the disease is extremely contagious and can demolish large herds of cows.
bTB is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis. It can also infect badgers, deer, goats, pigs, llamas and alpacas – leading to the infamous case of Geronimo in 2021.
Cattle are tested for the disease because it is zoonotic, so can pass to humans, so staying on top of it limits the risk to the population.
The UK’s meat and dairy products would also not be accepted for exports if we didn’t have comprehensive bTB testing.
The disease spreads slowly in cattle, so they often do not exhibit symptoms before it is picked up.
‘I thought it would be fun to have them, and then they just died in alarming numbers.
‘It was just terrible. I mean they still die, but we’re getting more used to it now, we’re a bit more robust.’
He added: ‘We’re a bit stronger at dealing with it now. But it was a very heart-breaking time.’
Clarkson continued by saying that he’s also ‘very fond’ of his goats and cows on the farm, despite Cooper telling him to ‘kill’ the goats to ‘sell’ and ‘eat’.
‘But I actually thought, no I want to keep them because I like them, but the pigs you have to sell them, otherwise nobody would keep pigs if you didn’t eat them.
‘There would be no cows or pigs in the country if people didn’t eat them.’
He added: ‘So in order to have the animals you have to eat them at the correct time, and it is weird, because you love them and you give birth to them and you nurture them and you feed them, you take care of them, you get the vet round when they’re poorly.
‘And then you kill them and it is a strange place to be when you haven’t been a farmer all your life but we are getting better at it, we definitely are.’
Metro contacted Jeremy Clarkson’s representatives for further comment.
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