Animal rights group PETA has targeted Jeremy Clarkson's Oxfordshire pub with a graphic protest, staging a mock barbecue featuring a realistic-looking dog outside The Farmer's Dog in Burford.
Campaigners displayed the imitation animal appearing to have been charred on a barbecue, alongside a sign asking customers: “Wouldn’t eat the Farmer’s Dog? Why eat a pig? Go vegan!”
Provocative stunt
The deliberate stunt was intended to draw comparisons between eating pigs and animals traditionally kept as pets. Clarkson, 66, opened The Farmer's Dog in 2024, with his efforts to get the venture up and running documented on his Prime Video series Clarkson's Farm. The pub has made serving British produce a central part of its offering.
Explaining why the group had targeted the former Top Gear presenter's business, PETA senior campaigns manager Kate Werner said: “Pigs are playful, intelligent individuals who feel pain and fear, love their families, and value their own lives, just like dogs do.
“Clarkson says he's 'always been fond of pigs', and he – and other patrons – ought to put that fondness into practice and leave pigs off their plates. Because there's no more reason to eat a pig than a dog.”
Previous protests
The organisation also pointed to research into pigs' intelligence and emotional behaviour, arguing that the animals are capable of recognising their names and displaying empathy towards one another. PETA claims that someone adopting a vegan diet can prevent almost 200 animals a year from being slaughtered.
It is not the first time Clarkson has found himself in the organisation's sights. Last December, PETA sent the broadcaster what it dubbed a 'Christmassacre' jumper, a deliberately gruesome festive design featuring a Christmas tree made from images of slaughtered pigs and splattered with imitation blood.
Clarkson has not publicly responded to the group's latest protest. The Standard contacted Clarkson's rep for comment.
Hosepipe ban workaround
Meanwhile, Clarkson recently revealed the way he managed to beat the hosepipe ban for the garden of his pub. The lawn outside his venue looked suspiciously green compared to the surrounding fields in aerial pictures obtained by The Mirror.
The summer has been brutal for the UK's green spaces, with five heatwaves raging across the country and months without rain plunging around 70 per cent of the country into a drought. Thames Water, the company that covers the area where Clarkson's pub is located, is among the water companies that have instigated hosepipe bans.
Clarkson revealed earlier this month that he found a completely legal way of getting around the ban, drilling a private borehole, which is legal because the water is not sourced from the public treated mains network. A borehole is drilled deep into the ground, providing access to natural groundwater. Once drilled, cased and fitted with an electric pump, people can connect their garden hose to the system and will not be breaking any drought conditions.
