Jeremy Clarkson has shared some “devastating” news from Diddly Squat, telling fans that his Cotswolds farm has been struck by an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis.
The 1,000-acre holding in Oxfordshire is at the heart of his hugely popular Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm, which follows the TV presenter’s journey as a new farmer and the challenges he faces along the way.
“We’ve gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated,” he wrote on X/Twitter on 31 July, adding: “I should clear this up really. It’s Bovine TB that we have. It doesn’t affect people, just our poor cows.”
Speaking on Times Radio on Friday (1 August), Clarkson said: “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.”
The farm has gone into lockdown and will be unable to buy or sell cows for two months “because that's how long we have to wait before we do another test”. The Diddly Squat Farm Shop remains open.
Clarkson revealed that “the offending animal is pregnant with twins” and also said that tests for Endgame, the beloved Aberdeen Angus bull featured in his hit show, were “inconclusive”.
Bovine TB (bTB) is a chronic respiratory disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium bovis. The disease can be catastrophic for farmers, and forces the culling of infected cattle. Due to a bTB incident in England between October 2021 and September 2022, 22,934 cows were killed.
The disease, which can also infect badgers, deer, goats and pigs, is the biggest challenge facing the farming industry today.
“An increasing number of farm families are facing the emotional and financial hardship of a TB breakdown,” Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon TD said in May 2025, urging for “decisive action”.
There are differing beliefs over how to reduce the spread, with government officials believing badger culling could stop the disease.
However, in 2022, a “landmark” report found that a badger cull did not contribute to a significant fall in levels of tuberculosis in cattle. This led the RSPCA to call for an immediate halt to culling programmes.

Sources recently told The Independent that, last year, 10,769 badgers were killed, bringing the total killed in 12 years to around 240,000.
Despite the government’s scientific chief advising against it, officials approved a fresh round of badger culling in June 2025 – but it was later scrapped after a review of the policy was pushed through.
Clarkson bought the now-famous land in 2008 and, after the villager who ran the farm retired in 2019, he decided to see if he could run it himself – a venture tracked in Clarkson’s Farm.
He previously clashed with Brian May over his views on badger culling; the Queen guitarist has long been a vocal critic of the practice.
“These are not nice animals,” Clarkson told The Daily Mail in 2023 after struggling with the threat of bovine tuberculosis to his cattle.
“Do not be fooled by Brian May. This is what badgers do. This is how much heartache they’re causing to people who’ve worked for generations to build up a farm that’s been wiped out by badgers.”
This outbreak of bTB is the latest setback for Diddly Squat farm, which has already weathered a year of climate-driven disasters.
Earlier this month, Clarkson gave a worrying update on the future of his farm. He called 2025 the “worst year ever”, citing a “shocking” harvest due to heatwaves and drought in the UK.
Clarkson’s Farm has become one of Prime Video’s most-streamed TV shows and in July 2024, Clarkson extended his business empire by taking over rural country pub The Windmill in Asthall – a “village boozer” on five acres of countryside near Burford.

The purchase of his pub, which is called The Farmer’s Dog, featured in the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm. But Clarkson recently ruled out any similar ventures in the future, telling The Times he is “done with business” as he “doesn’t understand it”.
“I am not motivated by money. I just want a good craic,” he said.
And despite his Prime Video series’ continued success, Clarkson has suggested that the forthcoming fifth season may be its last.
“I’d do a sixth if there was a reason for doing it, like a bloody good story,” he said in May. “Whatever happens we’ll definitely take a short break as the crews are all worn out.”
"We’ve been filming here two or three days a week, every week, for five years. Everybody could do with a rest."
Prime Video is yet to announce a release date for season five, but based on releases of previous seasons, fans can expect a return to Diddly Squat in May 2026.
Jeremy Clarkson shares sad farm update after ‘awful’ TB outbreak
What is bovine tuberculosis? The disease impacting Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswolds farm
Clarkson’s Farm breakout star makes Jeremy Clarkson career admission
Si King to make solo TV return after Hairy Bikers co-star Dave Myers’ death
Rachel Riley reveals lengths she’d go to not do Strictly Come Dancing again
Adrian Edmondson says boomers have ‘messed things up’ for younger people