Jeremy Clarkson Tells Tory Conference Farming Has Had ‘Terrible Year’

Jeremy Clarkson made a surprise appearance at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Sunday, telling attendees that British farming has endured a “terrible” year largely due to extreme heat.

The former Top Gear host and star of the ITV series Clarkson’s Farm was introduced to the stage by Victoria Atkins, the Conservative shadow environment secretary. He took the stage alongside land agent Charlie Ireland for a question-and-answer session, where he discussed the severe challenges facing the agricultural sector.

Clarkson revealed that despite working hard throughout the year, his own farm production was minimal. “We worked really hard all year and we ended up with, I think I’m right in saying, three ounces of hen food,” he said. “It was an absolute disaster on the farming side, but luckily we’ve got other projects going on now.”

He emphasized that the difficulties extend beyond his personal experience, noting that he is fortunate to have other income streams and newspaper columns, whereas “if you’re an ordinary farmer, it’s not just the weather.”

Describing the current climate for agriculture, Clarkson argued that farmers are under constant pressure from multiple sources. “The attacks come from everywhere – whether it’s Iran or Ukraine or taxes or energy costs – whatever it might be, it’s just relentless,” he told the audience, who greeted his remarks with loud applause. He also criticized the broader business environment, asking, “Why would anybody set up a business in this country right now?”

Clarkson has been an outspoken Conservative supporter and recently participated in campaigns opposing Labour’s proposed changes to inheritance tax for farmers. The policy was introduced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first budget but was subsequently watered down following lobbying from farmer groups and pressure from rural Labour MPs.

During the session, Clarkson also addressed recent comments by Labour MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, who suggested that the idealized vision of British rural life—characterized by country pubs and black Labradors—was a “nostalgic” false memory. Clarkson jokinged that he was effectively a “socialist” because he drinks lager and owns two fox red Labradors, responding to concerns that such imagery could be co-opted by far-right politics.