Jeremy Clarkson says he suffers ‘sleepless nights’ before sending animals to slaughter

Jeremy Clarkson might be known as a vocal anti-vegan, but he loves his animals more than you might think.

Yep, the Top Gear presenter might be a big advocate of all things meat, but he says he always suffers “sleepless nights” before sending his pigs to the slaughter on his farm.

“I can never sleep properly the night before they go, and all the way to the slaughterhouse I have what feels like a hot cricket ball in the pit of my stomach,” he recently told The Sunday Times. 

“And then when it’s finally time to say goodbye, I always become a little bit unmanly.”

Jeremy Clarkson doesn’t like sending his pigs to slaughter (Credit: Alamy)

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Jeremy runs a farm named Diddly Squat – based on his Cotswolds – and he makes no bones of the fact he gets attached to the animals he rears.

However, it doesn’t stop him enjoying the fruits of his labour.

“I know that I’m trying to be a farmer and that this is what farmers do. And I know I will enjoy the bacon and ham and pork chops that result,” he says.

“But it’s not easy, taking seven happy, healthy pigs from their woodland home to their deaths. Especially as pig prices are currently so low I’ll almost certainly end up making a loss on the transaction.”

Jeremy Clarkson’s farm is named Diddly Squat (Credit: Alamy)

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Jeremy used to run a restaurant on his farm, and he made it patently clear it was only a place for lovers of meat. 

Guests were welcomed by a sign that read: “Yes, we have no vegetarian food.” Blunt, but to the point…

The controversial TV star has made his feelings about vegetarianism clear in the past, so the decision isn’t surprising, despite being rather unpopular in this day and age.

He previously called vegans who disagreed with his farming practices “lunatics,” so his sleepless nights aren’t likely to turn into a full diet change any time soon.