Jeremy Clarkson has hit back at Chris Packham after the wildlife presenter criticised Clarkson’s Farm, branding his comments “b******s” and insisting he has seen Diddly Squat Farm for himself.
Writing in his latest column for The Sun, the broadcaster responded to remarks Mr Packham made while appearing on Celebrity Gogglebox, where he criticised the opening sequence of the hit Amazon Prime series.
Mr Packham took issue with the programme’s illustrated introduction, saying: “That’s not what a farm looks like.”
He went on to criticise modern farming more broadly, claiming: “Most farms are horrible monocultures which have been sprayed with deadly chemicals… the ground has been pumped full of fertiliser and most of the animals are indoors, in crates, being crushed and kept in the dark.”
Jeremy Clarkson hit back at Chris Packham in his latest Sun column
| AMAZON
Mr Clarkson rejected the comments outright.
“The endlessly angry Chris Packham went on Gogglebox this week and erupted in blind fury about the Winnie the Pooh-ish opening credits to my farming programme,” he wrote.
“‘That’s not what a farm looks like,’ he fumed.
“No, Chris. It’s a drawing.”
Chris Packham criticised Clarkson’s Farm during an appearance on Celebrity Gogglebox.
|
GETTY
The former Top Gear presenter then dismissed Mr Packham’s wider criticism of British farming.
“Now, of course this kind of stuff plays well in a room full of nose rings and Palestine flags at a vegan activist meeting in Hackney,” Clarkson wrote.
“But he was on a television programme, and it didn’t play well at all.
“Because it’s b******s.”
Clarkson said Packham had previously visited Diddly Squat Farm
|
GETTY
Mr Clarkson went on to argue that Mr Packham already had first-hand experience of his Oxfordshire farm, having visited years before.
“And Chris knows it’s b******s because, back in 2012, he came to Diddly Squat and spent the day in our woods, foraging and bird watching,” he claimed.
“If there had been some animals in a crate, being crushed, I’m sure he would have noticed and said something.”
Mr Packham’s comments came as he watched Clarkson’s Farm during an episode of Celebrity Gogglebox, where he criticised what he sees as an unrealistic portrayal of farming.
The pair have frequently found themselves on opposite sides of debates surrounding agriculture and environmental issues.
Clarkson’s Farm has become one of Amazon Prime Video’s biggest original series
| AMAZON
While Mr Clarkson has become an outspoken advocate for British farmers through the success of Clarkson’s Farm, Mr Packham has regularly called for greater environmental protections and has criticised some intensive farming practices.