Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones has praised Jeremy Clarkson for his efforts to raise the profile of the lives and livelihoods of people who don’t live in the UK’s major cities
A farmer who moved from a major British city to the Devon-Cornwall borders has spoken glowingly about the impact of Jeremy Clarkson on how the countryside is seen.
Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, originally from Birmingham, moved from the city to the countryside nearly three decades ago, putting down roots at the age of 40 after years of running a successful marketing agency.
27 years on from his big move, Wilfred has praised the work Jeremy, 65, has done to raise awareness of lives and livelihoods of people in the countryside through his Amazon Prime show, Clarkson’s Farm.
Wilfred said that the show had served to highlight the positives after decades of negativity. He told the Telegraph: “Jeremy Clarkson’s programme has helped to bring a touch of celebrity to farming.
“We needed the industry to get the Jamie Oliver treatment, and he has done that. Take Kaleb. When was the last time we saw people like that from rural backgrounds made into heroes?
“The show has popularised rural living. This is what we need to build on, not a negative, outdated message that the English countryside is somehow out of bounds.”
On his own journey, Wilfred remarked that, despite some scepticism from others, he knew it was the right decision to quit city life, after being driven by a love for the countryside.
He said: “What drove me to do it was a deep love of the English countryside and a desire to lay down roots (so important to someone of my heritage) and live in a different way.
“Nearly 30 years later, my business – the Black Farmer – is thriving, and my sausages can be found in supermarkets up and down the country.”
Wilfred isn’t the only farmer to have heaped praise on the former-Grand Tour and Top Gear presenter in recent weeks. Speaking to the BBC, fourth-generation dairy farmer Jack Emery said the work of Jeremy’s Diddly Squat farm has to be praised.
He explained: “Regardless of the controversies that Mr Clarkson’s has had in the past, what he has done for British agriculture has to be recognised as truly remarkable.
“He has really managed to capture the nation and give them a brief education into the details of what farmers are working with and the realities of farming.
“I know the audience will laugh at him for how difficult farming can be, or that he has had a bad harvest and profits are dwindling, but it is an honest reflection of the work we do.”
Jeremy’s involvement in farming has gone far beyond running a farm and making a television programme about it. He has also attended protests alongside farmers and launched several ventures, including a pub, to boost the local economy.
Last month, Jeremy personally thanked staff at The Farmer’s Dog on social media. He said: “Exactly a year ago, we opened The Farmer’s Dog to back British farming.
“Today, there are 146 people on the payroll and I’d like to thank every single one of them for making it such a roaring success.”
