Clarkson’s Farm inspires new generation of farmers to plough into green initiatives

JEREMY CLARKSON has become Brit- ain’s most famous farmer in a matter of months – and a new generation of ecominded urbanites are following in his footsteps.

The former Top Gear presenter has won plaudits for his Amazon series Clarkson’s Farm, which led to him being crowned Farming Champion of the Year by the NFU and praised for shining a light on the challenges faced by the agricultural community. His show has also helped to inspire a new breed of well-off “pioneer farmers” who are shunning the rat race to go back to the land, with the environment in mind.

Strutt & Parker, an estate agency, said that “non-farmers”, including lifestyle buyers and green investors seeking to make money from sucking up carbon dioxide or providing habitats for nature, are now the main type of buyer in the South East and South West of England, making up almost half of farming purchases across England this year.

Christian Swaab, the head of country sales in the Cheltenham office of estate agent Savills, said there had been a flurry of interest in people considering a new life in the country inspired by the programme.

The company is marketing a small 24-acre farm in Ross-on-wye as “perfect” for fans of Clarkson’s Farm.

“In the last 20 months, we’ve seen people wanting to reinvent themselves and get fresh air, but not be too far flung.

“They want to have that bigger garden, bigger space, and then you suddenly see people that have got the money to go ‘look, actually I want to go beyond this, I want to have a little farm’ – what we call a ‘gentleman’s farm’, where you’ve got rare breeds and things like that.

“Mr Clarkson’s programme, which is brilliant, has put a little bit more petrol into the system, people thinking ‘well can I become a small farmer?’ – a life change,” he said.

Property agents Knight Frank said that buyers interested in environmentally-friendly ways of using the land are one of the key groups driving up prices for farmland, which have risen by almost four per cent in the past three months of this year. “A lack of supply and strong demand, including from environmentally-focused buyers, are behind the rise,” the company said.

Graeme Willis, agricultural lead at CPRE, the countryside charity, said: “New thinking, new ideas – new farmers – are to be welcomed, particularly if they are willing to take risks and invest new money in regenerating the land and finding healthier ways to produce food and improve the environment.”

Jeremy Clarkson made a successful career on television as an ardent champion of the internal combustion engine and hero of petrol heads everywhere. Now he has morphed into an unlikely figurehead for eco-farming. His hit series Clarkson’s Farm is encouraging well-off escapees from the city rat race to return to the land as a new breed of gentleman farmers, but with environmental credentials to go with the wellies and Land Rover.

Estate agents report that “non-farmers”, including lifestyle buyers and green investors, are now the main type of purchaser in the South East and South West of England. But if they have watched Clarkson’s Farm, they should know that the primary purpose of his 1,000-acre holding is to graze animals and grow crops. We still need to eat.