Jeremy Clarkson barred from selling his book at Diddly Squat Farm - as it doesn’t constitute local produce

Despite the book being written at his kitchen table, West Oxford Council doesn’t deem Clarkson’s book ‘local produce.’
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Things go from bad to worse for former Top Gear and Clarkson’s Farm presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Already embattled after his comments regarding Meghan Markle in his regular Sun column (a column that has since been removed) and with news that Amazon are to cease working with Clarkson at the culmination of his filmed projects, his farm is once again under scrutiny.

Clarkson has already experienced a bitter war with West Oxfordshire Council over the operating of a restaurant which he was ordered to close down, leading to the presenter backing down from appealing the decision. The latest spat between Diddly Squat Farm and the council involved the sales of his book, Diddly Squat: ‘Til The Cows Come Home.

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The books are said not to be locally produced and as such, are not permitted to be sold at the farm shop. In response, Clarkson said: “I cannot understand why the council doesn’t want me to sell my farming books in the shop, they claim they weren’t made locally but I wrote them at my kitchen table."

West Oxfordshire Council said:  “A farm shop is for the sale of local produce. If he’s selling books that’s a different thing in planning terms." The spokesperson for the council added however, they were unaware of any enforcement action preventing him from carrying out his plan.

Diddly Squat Farm has found itself in hot water with the council before - in January 2022, Clarkson opened a dining area at the farm after finding a ‘loophole’ which was quickly shut down by enforcement agencies. The agency stated the closure was due to a material change of use and ordered to shut the restaurant, stop selling food to be consumed on the farm, and also to remove dining tables, chairs, parasols and picnic tables.

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