There’s a new star of Clarkson’s Farm, and his name is Prince William.
The Prince of Wales, 42, visited the west country to meet Clarkson’s Farm stars Kaleb Cooper and land agent Charlie Ireland.
While Kaleb, 26, usually spends his days tearing his hair out trying to teach a clueless Jeremy Clarkson how to drive a tractor, this week he had to be on his best behaviour for meeting the royal.
Having just been made a patron of We Are Farming Minds – which aims to improve mental health of Duchy of Cornwall farmers – William is set to appear in a special episode of Clarkson’s Farm, which will focus on the topic.
In true Kaleb form, on meeting Prince William he couldn’t help but poke fun at his moon-shaped lid.
‘Great hair,’ he said, after shaking Prince William’s hand. The latter seemed to take it well, but didn’t hold back from giving Kaleb a warning from his 11-year-old son, Prince George.
‘You’ve got George watching now. I said to him “What shall I say if I meet Kaleb?”‘ Prince William said, continuing, ‘He said, “Tell Kaleb to mind his language”.’
To that, Kaleb laughed, and replied: ‘I don’t swear ever. It’s because the people I work with are… Annoying.’
Talking to Sky News about mental health issues in the farming community, Kaleb said: ‘I’ve always said this, farmers are really good problem solvers. Yes, they may solve the problem but then at the end of the day they take that on board themselves.
‘That”s where the stress comes from. That’s when mental health issues occur in the farming industry a lot. So it’s good to talk about it, and hopefully raise awareness.
Do farmers suffer from mental health issues more than the general population?
Poor mental health in farming is 46% higher than in other occupations but rural communities have less access to support.
95% of farmers under 40 believe that mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today
RABI’s Big Farming Survey conducted in 2021 revealed that 36% of farmers in the UK are probably or possibly depressed, while 47% are constantly struggling with anxiety. Of the 15,000 respondents involved in the survey, only 8% of women and 12% of men reported having good mental well-being.
In 2023 it was reported by Agriland that three people in the UK farming and agricultural industry die by suicide every week, according to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Perhaps referring to recent changes to inheritance tax relief for the farming community, Kaleb said: ‘There’s a worry about where does everyone see farming in 10 years, and the thing I always say is that, “Don’t forget, we need a farmer three times a day, for breakfast, dinner and tea.”‘
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Charlie Ireland added: ‘We’ve got turbulent times in the economy, farming has picked up in that. We’ve had changes, cash flows are tight on farms. Cash flow is tight within the government. We’re feeling that within farming.’
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Clarkson’s Farm season 4 is set to be released in around May 2025, with filming wrapping up in a few weeks.
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