Jeremy Clarkson’s move from motorways to compost TV has earned him a coveted award.
The 61-year-old delighted fans with his show Clarkson Farms, documenting his adventures as he took the first jump in running his 1,000-acre farm called Didley Squat Farm in Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds.
And it seems that not only his fans were happy with his show after the National Farmers Union (NFU) honored him with the Farming Champion of the year 2021.
NFU stated that his show exposes the harsh realities of farming to millions of new viewers, who enjoy his ‘excitement that comes through spades’, his no-nonsense approach and ideas about farming.
Clarkson has been outspoken on many issues related to farming and has supported calls for the UK’s food self-sufficiency not to drop NFUs below 60 per cent.
Clarkson has been outspoken on many issues related to farming and has supported calls for the UK’s food self-sufficiency not to drop NFUs below 60 per cent.
He goes a step further and calls upon the country to aim for 80 per cent.
NFU President Minette Batters said, “When it comes to recognizing someone who has done their best to showcase British food and farming over the past 12 months, no one has earned this award more than Jeremy Clarkson. done. done.”
“His shows have really resonated with the public, bringing the ups and downs of our industry to life to a vast new audience, and bringing British farming to the living rooms of families across the country.
‘It’s been such a challenging time for British farming in the last 12 months; As key workers our farmers have stocked shelves with British food and dealt with extreme weather events.
‘Now, they are grappling with labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and rising costs, which are creating serious problems for businesses that produce essential food.
Happy fans, 61, documented his adventures with his show Clarkson Farms as he made the first jump to running his own farm called Diddley Squat Farm.
‘Through it all, Jeremy Clarkson has been a vocal champion for the British agricultural industry. His enthusiasm comes through in spades and his overwhelming and continued support for NFU’s Back British Farming campaign makes him a much-deserved winner of this prestigious award.’
Clarkson, who now runs the farm with his favorite Caleb Cooper, bought the farm in 2008.
It was initially run by a farmer living in the village, but when he retired in 2019, the former Top Gear presenter decided to try his hand at running it himself.
The hit show on Amazon Prime has also received positive reviews from the UK government.
Speaking at the Conservative Party convention, Environment Secretary George Eustice said: ‘I think Jeremy Clarkson’s program has given a huge amount to the profile of agriculture and some of the challenges it faces.
The 61-year-old opened a shop called Diddley Squat Shop on the site of his farm
In my opinion it is a Top Gear-meets-countryphile type of event.’
Mr. Eustice also used the conference to outline planned changes to agricultural subsidies after Brexit.
“We believe there is some financial dependence at this time on old-fashioned regional subsidies,” he said.
‘The reason we get rid of those area subsidies is because land is a fixed supply, there’s no shortage of demand.
There is really no point in subsidizing land acquisition on land acquisition. So it is true that we should move away from it but the heart of your question is that we need to make this change gradually, so we are going to make incremental change over seven years.’
Environment Secretary George Eustis (pictured) praised the work the show has done to raise awareness about farming in the UK at this week’s Conservative Party convention.
The government also plans to replace land-based funding with subsidies that will go towards supporting nature and biodiversity.
In one episode of his show, Clarkson attempts to increase biodiversity and recover the soil of his farm.
Clarkson has previously spoken about Brexit, calling it a ‘challenge’ for the agriculture industry.