Jeremy Clarkson accused the government of having a “sinister plan” to “ethnically cleanse” the British countryside of farmers earlier this month – but the real culprits are tax-reducing millionaires such as himself.
Data collected by property consultants Strutt & Parker show farmers are increasingly being squeezed out of the agricultural land market by wealthy investors.
While non-farmers were responsible for less than a third of farmland purchases in 2010, by last year this had risen to 56 per cent.
The findings coincide with data that shows in the last year alone, 400,000 hectares (988,422 acres) of agricultural land has been taken out of use for farming.
The analysis links this to financial advice that recommends potential tax breaks of investing in farmland, which by his own admission, is precisely why Clarkson got involved.
Those wanting greater protections for farmers should consider the damage being wrought by TV presenters looking to escape IHT!