Television presenter Jeremy Clarkson has announced that bovine tuberculosis has been detected at his Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire, with a pregnant cow carrying twins among the animals that must be destroyed under UK law. The 65-year-old broadcaster confirmed the outbreak on social media platform X on Thursday afternoon, stating that “everyone here is absolutely devastated” by the discovery at his 1,000-acre farm near Chipping Norton.
The detection of bovine TB at the high-profile farming operation represents a significant setback for Clarkson, who has documented his agricultural journey through the Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm since 2021. The infected pregnant cow must be culled alongside any other cattle that test positive, as mandated by British animal health regulations.
Prize Bull Endgame Faces Uncertain Future
Particular concern has emerged over the fate of Endgame, Clarkson’s prized Aberdeen Angus bull purchased for £5,500 and featured prominently in the latest series. When questioned by concerned fans on social media, Clarkson revealed that the bull’s test result was “inconclusive,” adding emotionally: “I couldn’t bear it if we lost him.”
Under current regulations, cattle with two consecutive inconclusive test results are classified as “reactors” and must be isolated before being sent to slaughter. The farm now faces mandatory retesting within 60 days to determine Endgame’s fate.
The outbreak occurs in what authorities classify as an “edge area” for bovine TB—a buffer zone between high-risk and low-risk regions where herds undergo mandatory testing every six months. Recent data from ibTB, the official disease mapping platform, indicates several TB cases have been recorded near Diddly Squat Farm in recent weeks.
Economic and Emotional Toll on British Farming
The financial implications of TB outbreaks extend far beyond government compensation. While the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) provides payments ranging from £82 for young calves to £1,543 for breeding bulls, with higher values up to £5,267 for pedigree animals, farmers bear substantial uncompensated costs.
Research commissioned by Defra and the Welsh Government reveals the median cost of a TB breakdown to farms stands at approximately £6,600, with larger herds of over 300 cattle facing median costs around £18,600. For smaller operations with up to 50 cattle, costs average £1,700.
Emma Ledbury, a local dairy farmer who supplies Clarkson’s farm shop and featured in series two of the programme, previously lost 50 per cent of her herd to bovine TB. She revealed during filming that the financial pressure prevented her family from drawing wages from their farm business.
Controversial Badger Debate Resurfaces
Clarkson has been outspoken about the role of badgers in spreading bovine TB, previously describing them as “evil, vicious b******s” during a 2023 interview. The presenter revealed that two badger carcasses found on his property had tested positive for TB, expressing frustration at legal protections preventing culling.
“When you get cows, the biggest problem you have are badgers, by miles, just off the charts,” Clarkson stated last year, criticising wildlife advocates including Queen guitarist Brian May and broadcaster Chris Packham for defending the protected species.
The controversy surrounding badger culling remains contentious. Government data shows the UK has culled 210,000 badgers at a cost of £58.8 million as of 2024, while 330,000 cattle were destroyed during the same period. Bovine TB compensation to farmers costs taxpayers approximately £150 million annually.
Government Policy Shifts on Horizon
The Labour government announced in June 2025 that it would not extend badger culling operations and remains committed to ending the practice before the next election. This policy shift comes despite scientific debate over culling effectiveness, with a 2019 study finding industry-led culling associated with reduced cattle TB incidence in some areas but not others.
Oxfordshire’s designation as an edge area means Clarkson’s herd faces stricter testing regimes than low-risk regions. The area has experienced increased TB incidents, with latest Defra statistics showing 21,586 cattle were slaughtered due to TB in England during 2024—a 7 per cent increase from the previous year.
Wales recorded its worst-ever annual figure with 13,034 cattle culled in 2024, representing a 27 per cent increase. These figures underscore the growing challenge facing British agriculture despite decades of control efforts.
Industry Impact and Future Implications
The Diddly Squat outbreak highlights the ongoing vulnerability of British farming to bovine TB, which Defra aims to eradicate in England by 2038. The disease spreads primarily through respiratory transmission between cattle, though wildlife reservoirs including badgers complicate control efforts.
For Clarkson’s farming enterprise, which has attracted millions of viewers worldwide and significantly raised public awareness of agricultural challenges, the outbreak represents another operational setback. The fourth series, which premiered in May 2025, documented various difficulties including employee walkouts and electrical failures during the launch of The Farmer’s Dog pub.
The farm must now implement movement restrictions and undergo enhanced surveillance, standard protocols when TB is detected. These measures form part of nationwide efforts to control disease spread, though their effectiveness remains debated within farming and conservation communities.
As one farming industry representative noted, Clarkson’s high-profile platform has done “more for farming in one series than 30 years” of traditional agricultural programming. This latest crisis at Diddly Squat Farm brings renewed attention to an issue affecting thousands of British farmers annually.
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