The final episode of Clarkson's Farm Season 5 ended with devastating scenes as Jeremy Clarkson learned that one of his pregnant cows, suspected of having bovine tuberculosis (TB), was slaughtered unnecessarily. A post-mortem later revealed the cow did not have TB, leaving Clarkson with his 'blood boiling'. However, the farm has since been declared TB-free as of March 2026.
What Happened in Season 5
Welsh vet Dilwyn Evans conducted routine TB tests on Clarkson's cattle and found a potential 'fail' on a pregnant cow—the first cow ever bought for Diddly Squat Farm. Despite two inconclusive tests, the cow, carrying two calves, was legally required to be slaughtered. The entire herd was placed under lockdown, preventing the farm from operating normally.
Post-Mortem Reveals No TB
After the slaughter, a post-mortem showed the cow did not actually have TB. Clarkson expressed his frustration, but the farm remained in lockdown for seven months. In a column for The Sun in March 2026, Clarkson confirmed: 'After seven months of lockdown, Diddly Squat farm became officially TB-free this week.'
Impact on the Farm
The lockdown took a heavy toll on operations. Clarkson wrote in The Times: 'All the barns we needed to store the grain in, we now have to convert into a cow hospital. We’ve got another calf with pneumonia, so that needs to be housed. And we can’t buy or sell a cow now because the farm officially, you know, has TB.'
Mixed News for Clarkson
Despite the good news about TB, Clarkson shared a bittersweet update: 'But before we had a chance to celebrate, we found out that one of our donkeys has laminitis and must be put down. In farming, it seems you are allowed one bit of good news, but it must always be accompanied by some kind of disaster.'
The TB scare began in August 2025, before Season 5 aired, and Clarkson announced the outbreak on X. Now that the farm is TB-free, Clarkson and his team can look forward to resuming normal operations. Clarkson's Farm is streaming on Prime Video.
