Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about the devastating loss of a cow named Pepper during a bovine tuberculosis outbreak at his Diddly Squat farm in Oxfordshire. Speaking at the Great British Farm Fest on May 24, the 66-year-old Clarkson's Farm star described the emotional toll of the outbreak, which occurred in July 2025.
Clarkson explained that Pepper was the first calf born on his farm and was pregnant with twins when she was euthanised due to the disease. 'Those of you not involved in cow farming, you have no idea how devastating that is,' he said. 'We were absolutely heartbroken at the farm, having to send pregnant cows off for Keir Starmer to kill them for no reason.'
Bovine tuberculosis is a respiratory disease caused by a bacterium, and all infected animals must be put down. The outbreak forced the farm into strict restrictions for two months, and it was not officially declared TB-free until March 2025. Clarkson previously shared the news on X, writing: 'Bad news from Diddly Squat. We've gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated.'
In his column for The Times, Clarkson detailed the disruption: 'You aren't allowed to operate as a business. You have to isolate them for two months. So all the barns we needed to store the grain in, we now have to convert into a cow hospital.' He also noted that another calf with pneumonia needed housing, and the farm could not buy or sell cows during the outbreak.
Clarkson also reflected on Pepper's fate, writing: 'Even though she was pregnant with twins, she had to be destroyed. And what happens to her after that? Burned? Dissolved in acid? Nope. She goes into the food chain like any other farm animal.'
