Jeremy Clarkson has announced that his Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire has been struck by an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), describing the news as 'devastating'. The 1,000-acre farm, which is the setting for the popular Prime Video series Clarkson's Farm, has gone into lockdown, with no cows able to be bought or sold for at least two months.
In a post on X/Twitter on 31 July, Clarkson wrote: 'We've gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated.' He clarified that it is bovine TB, which 'doesn't affect people, just our poor cows'. Speaking on Times Radio on 1 August, he added: 'I got up this morning and found one of my puppies has died. And we've got a very sickly calf. Honestly, farming? I'm not enjoying it this week.'
Clarkson revealed that the infected cow is pregnant with twins, and tests for Endgame, the farm's beloved Aberdeen Angus bull, were 'inconclusive'. The Diddly Squat Farm Shop remains open. Bovine TB, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis, is a chronic respiratory disease that often forces the culling of infected cattle. Between October 2021 and September 2022, 22,934 cows were killed due to bTB in England.
This outbreak is the latest setback for Diddly Squat, which has already faced a difficult year. Earlier in July, Clarkson called 2025 the 'worst year ever' for the farm, citing a 'shocking' harvest due to heatwaves and drought. The disease also affects badgers, and the issue of badger culling remains controversial. In June 2025, a fresh round of culling was approved but later scrapped after a policy review. Clarkson has previously clashed with Queen guitarist Brian May over the practice, calling badgers 'not nice animals' in a 2023 interview.
Despite the challenges, Clarkson's farming venture has become a major success on Prime Video. In July 2024, he expanded his business by purchasing a rural pub, The Farmer's Dog, near Burford. However, he recently told The Times that he is 'done with business' and not motivated by money, saying: 'I just want a good craic.'
