Clarkson’s Farm Hit by Tragedy as TB Outbreak Forces Lockdown

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Jeremy Clarkson has confirmed a string of devastating events at his Diddly Squat Farm, with a bovine tuberculosis (TB) outbreak forcing a lockdown and the sudden death of one of his new puppies adding to an already difficult week. The TV personality and former Top Gear host shared the troubling news in a recent interview and across his social media platforms.

The TB outbreak was confirmed after routine testing on Clarkson’s cattle, which is required every six months. Speaking to Times Radio’s Peter Cardwell, Clarkson described the moment a vet delivered the grim result. “You have a test every six months on the cows and then you sort of become blasé, it’s a hypothetical threat,” he said. “Then the vet looks up as he did yesterday lunchtime and said, ‘I’m really sorry this one’s failed.’ So that means we’re now locked down and it’s just dreadful, absolutely dreadful.”

Under current regulations, TB-positive cattle must be culled, and affected farms are restricted from moving livestock for at least two months until further testing can be conducted. While this severely impacts the farm’s operations, Clarkson confirmed that the lockdown does not extend to the farm shop, which remains open. “It’s only cows that get affected by it,” he clarified.

As if the TB diagnosis wasn’t enough, Clarkson revealed that the farm suffered a further blow when one of his dog Arya’s 11 newborn puppies died. “It’s only been not even 24 hours since I found out [about the TB], and it occupies my mind. Well, it was occupying my mind, but I got up this morning and found one of my puppies has died,” he said. “And we’ve got a very sickly calf. Honestly, farming? I’m not enjoying it this week.”

The news comes after a period of success for Arya, a red Labrador who gave birth while Clarkson and his partner Lisa Hogan played midwife roles during the same weekend England’s Lionesses secured victory in the UEFA Women’s Euro final. At the time, Clarkson celebrated the double triumph with a light-hearted post on Instagram: “Well done Arya, our lioness of 11 & to all the other champion Lionesses!! Quite the Sunday victory.”

On social media platform X, Clarkson addressed the TB outbreak directly: “Bad news from Diddly Squat. We’ve gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated.”

Bovine TB is a serious infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a bacterium closely related to the human strain. It primarily affects cattle but can be transmitted to other animals and, in rare cases, to humans via close contact or contaminated animal products.

To compound the farm’s woes, Clarkson’s Farm co-star Kaleb Cooper also reported that vital equipment, including a tractor and post knocker, had been stolen, an incident that adds to the mounting pressures on small farmers already grappling with unpredictable conditions and rising crime.