Jeremy Clarkson has echoed the frustrations of farmers across the country after processors, including Muller, First Milk and Freshways, have cut the price of milk to 5p a litre less than it costs to produce.
The Clarkson’s Farm star, who has run Diddly Squat Farm since 2019, lamented that the financial hit has left “hard-working” dairy farmers forced to sell their herds.
Writing in his latest column, the 63-year-old wrote: “Alarming news from over the hedge. The faceless business people who set the price of milk have decided to pay farmers 5p a litre LESS than it costs to produce.
“This makes me so angry that my teeth itch. Because dairy farmers – who I swear are the hardest-working people on God’s green earth – are being forced to sell their herds,” he added in The Sun.
In addition to the price cuts – a lack of labour, higher rents and interest rates plus tougher regulations are causing some farmers to leave the industry altogether, according to Farmers Weekly.
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As for the wider population, Jeremy predicts that milk “prices will skyrocket”.
He continued: “We can’t import milk from other countries. It would be economically and physically impossible…
“We have to buy it from dairy farmers here. And when they’ve all sold up… there will be a shortage. So prices will skyrocket.”
It comes after the former Top Gear presenter admitted that he had considered selling Diddly Squat Farm after a series of “heartbreaking” agricultural “disasters”.
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Jeremy explained that his barley failed all its tests and could not be turned into his Hawkstone beer. His price lion’s mane mushrooms, which could have been sold for £35 per 150g, also failed a food-checking test.
In addition, bad weather meant his wheat failed to grow and the local abattoir, where he would take his pigs, was closing.
Detailing his struggles in his Sunday Times column last week, he lamented: “I’ve tried farming conventionally and it didn’t work. I’ve tried diversifying and that hasn’t really worked either. And I’ve tried with sheep and pigs and cows and that has been a bit of a disaster as well.
“So I arrived at a crossroads and was not sure which way to turn.”
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