Jeremy Clarkson has opened up on the financial strain of running Diddly Squat Farm admitting he is “screwed”, along with many farmers across Europe.
Speaking about the harsh reality of the farming industry, the former Top Gear host acknowledged the difficulty he has found in turning a profit at the Cotswold farm.
He opened the farm back in 2019 and has been transparent in confessing the struggles in making a profit.
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Last year, Mr Clarkson said he was contemplating selling the farm after facing problems such as failed crops and adverse weather conditions.
In the farm’s first year, he made just £114 and admitted that would be a dream result in its most recent year of business.
Mr Clarkson, in his latest Times column, discussed the cost of foods on supermarket shelves and how little of the profits end up in farmer’s pockets due to ever-rising production costs.
The Clarkson’s Farm star declared that today's farmers are "screwed" after farming subsidies have been "cut to the bone".
The 63-year-old said: "They can't make anything approximating to a living wage without government help, and they can't put up prices because the supermarket system doesn't allow it."
It comes as farmers across Europe have put on widespread strikes due to plans to end subsidies that would aid this income.
Protests started in Belgium, before heading to countries like the Netherlands and Germany.
In Germany yesterday (January 15), farmers drove thousands of tractors into Berlin, capping a week of demonstrations against a plan to scrap tax breaks on the diesel they use.
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He continued to say that farmers don't do much better in supplying meat to fast food chains.
The TV star said: "How much of the £4 it charges for a Big Mac goes to the farmers who grew the cows and the potatoes and the flour and the tomatoes and whatever it is McDonald's puts in that delicious sauce?”
“Not much", he concluded.
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