Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat farm secured more than £250,000 in subsidies
Published
| Last updated
Jeremy Clarkson has received over £250,000 in subsidies over the past three years, it's been revealed.
The former Top Gear presenter bought his sprawling sprawling 1,000-acre farm back in 2008.
But thanks to the hit Amazon series Clarkson's Farm, it's been all over the news, almost constantly, for the past couple of years, with millions tuning in to see how the 63-year-old copes with the rural life.
Now, if you've watched the show at all, you'll know that Clarkson is pretty outspoken about the hardships facing farmers across the country.
He's said before that food in the UK is simply too cheap, and when that's coupled with the difficulties brought about by Brexit, it's having a devastating impact.
And it's now been revealed that over the past few years, Clarkson has managed to claim hundreds of thousands of pounds in support from the UK government.
According to figures obtained by Wales Online using Environmental Information regulations, Clarkson received £133,733.01 from the Rural Payments agency (RPA), which is part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), across two payments between December 2021 and 2022.
He also received a further £116,352 from the Environmental Stewardship (ES) scheme over four instalments between May 2020 and December 2022.
Clarkson has previously said many farmers were struggling to make ends meet, admitting he'd only made £144 profit for a year's worth of farming.
Speaking earlier this year about the difficulties farmers in the UK are facing, he told PA: “I was generally aware of this, but there’s so much of it now.
"Dairy’s in a proper mess because of TB and badgers. Pigs are in a real pickle because of lots of things, Brexit being the main one.
"Poultry farmers are in a total mess because of bird flu. Cereal farmers like myself are in a mess because we don’t know what we’re supposed to be growing, or what fertilisers we’re supposed to be using — and fertiliser is now costing £1,000 a tonne rather than £200 like last year.
"So, in every area, it’s a nightmare. It’s not a disaster for me because I’ve got other ways of earning a living but if you haven’t – and 99.9 percent of farmers don’t have another income stream – then a lot of them are simply not taking a wage.
“They’re working seven days a week with their arm up a cow’s bottom for nothing. And they’re absolutely powerless.
“And people will not pay properly for their food. Food is far too cheap. I know you can’t say that, but it’s far too cheap.
"If the Government said, 'Right, we’re going to double the price of food', they’d be out of office within five minutes. But that’s what they’ve got to do, really.”
Commenting on the payments, the RPA said: “The Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) makes income support payments to farmers carrying out qualifying agricultural activities on eligible agricultural land that they own or hold as tenants.
“Now that we have left the EU, BPS is being phased out in favour of alternative schemes that will reward farmers directly for the public benefits that they provide.
“Agri-environmental schemes reward farmers and land managers for looking after and improving the environment - conserving and restoring wildlife habitats; maintaining good air and water quality; managing flood risk; creating and managing woodland and preserving historical features in the landscape.”
Featured Image Credit: SWNS
Topics: Jeremy Clarkson, UK News, Clarkson's Farm, Amazon, TV and Film
