Chris Packham has reignited his long-standing feud with Jeremy Clarkson, describing the former Top Gear presenter as an “agitator” due to their contrasting perspectives on farming. Both television personalities are passionate about agriculture, but their views diverge sharply.
Chris Packham, best known for his work on Springwatch and as an outspoken advocate for environmental conservation, has frequently criticised the environmental impact of modern agricultural techniques. Conversely, Jeremy Clarkson owns and operates Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds, which features prominently in his popular Amazon Prime Video series, “Clarkson’s Farm.”
The dispute this year began with Packham’s comments on Celebrity Gogglebox, where he criticised Clarkson’s portrayal of farming. “Already, right, that’s not what a farm looks like,” Packham asserted while watching the programme with his conservationist stepdaughter, Megan McCubbin. He elaborated that most farms are large-scale monocultures heavily treated with chemicals and fertilisers, with many animals confined indoors in crowded conditions.
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Despite this, Packham expressed some understanding of Clarkson’s approach. Speaking to The Times, he said: “I understand what he does. He’s an agitator. I respect him for that because it is akin to what I’m trying to do.”
Packham emphasised his goal of promoting urgent and sometimes uncomfortable conversations to foster positive change. “If all farms were like Jeremy Clarkson’s, the world would be a better place,” he stated, but added that such farms are rare. Instead, he claimed many are used by industrial agriculture as a front to maintain their products in the market.
Clarkson responded swiftly, recalling a 2012 visit when Packham spent the day on his farm foraging and bird watching. Writing in his column for The Sun, Clarkson criticised Packham’s recent comments as “b******s,” insisting that if there had been animals mistreated on the farm, Packham would have spoken out then.
In reply, Packham used Instagram to share statistics about the UK farming industry related to animal welfare, pesticide use, and habitat loss, challenging Clarkson by asking, “Tell me Jeremy Clarkson, is it really all happy smiley down on the farm?”
In a surprising development, Clarkson later expressed regret over his harsh column, admitting: “I was very incensed by this and immediately wrote in The Sun that he was talking b******s. But in the new age of tolerance and respect, I shouldn’t have done that. I should have kept schtum.”
Nevertheless, Packham continued his criticism in an interview with the Express, accusing Clarkson of being “disingenuous” and claiming industrial farmers use his show as a “smokescreen” to obscure the realities of modern farming. He highlighted that Clarkson’s depiction offers an “entirely unrealistic image of most UK farms,” serving as a “friendly flagship” for industrial agriculture.
Packham stressed the importance of revealing the truth to protect animal welfare, wildlife, human health, and the environment. “They can shoot at the messenger, but they will not silence the truth, even if Jezza has a big mouth,” he concluded.
The feud underscores the broader debate about sustainable farming and the challenges of representing agriculture accurately in the media.