Queen’s Brian May rows with Jeremy Clarkson over badger cull: “He doesn’t know – it’s laughable”
Queen’s Brian May has spoken out about Jeremy Clarkson’s views over the UK badger cull, saying that his stance on the matter is “laughable”.
The comments from the Queen guitarist come as he is hosting a one-off BBC documentary about his work in the field of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and how to prevent it without resorting to badger culling.
Under current laws, any cow that tests positive for bovine TB must be destroyed, and the spread of the disease is widely reported as being stemmed from badgers.
May has been a long-time opponent of badger culling and the documentary, Brian May: The Badgers, The Farmers And Me, follows him on a four-year project to eradicate the disease – which can devastate cattle populations – without harming the badgers.
His views are opposed by former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, however, who has previously documented his struggles with badgers on his Amazon Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm, highlighting how the animals can damage property and also spread bovine tuberculosis to cattle.
He also joked on his Amazon Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm that badgers should be “hit on the head with a hammer” to protect his cattle (as per GB News), and later told The Daily Mail: “These are not nice animals. Do not be fooled by Brian May.”
The differing opinions have led to the two butting heads as far back as in 2013, and now May has publicly called out Clarkson for being “on the wrong side”.
“I don’t think it’s Jeremy Clarkson’s fault because he doesn’t know, he’s a newcomer to this situation, but he’s been advised by someone who’s telling him that bovine TB can be passed by a cow sniffing a badger’s breath. It’s laughable,” he told The Telegraph.
“But he’s got four million viewers on TV, so unfortunately people are going to believe it.”
He continued: “I would love to have a real heart-to-heart talk with Jeremy Clarkson. He has slagged me off, but I don’t really get into that,” he said.
May’s documentary about the culling will air on August 23 at 9pm on BBC Two.
Clarkson isn’t the first person who May has butted heads with over the ongoing situation regarding badgers in the UK. Back in 2019, the guitarist said Queen wouldn’t play Glastonbury after clashing with Michael Eavis over the badger cull.
This came as The Glastonbury founder previously called May a “danger to farming” and criticised the guitarist’s opposition to the controversial cull – arguing that the process is a fight against the impact that bovine TB can cause when cattle become infected.
Last year, he reaffirmed his stance on the Worthy Farm festival, saying while it still bothers him, it isn’t “impossible” that the band will perform at the site.
“You can never say never, but it’s a very big matter of principle to me. I am convinced, more than ever, that the badger cull is the greatest crime this country has ever committed against wildlife,” he said.
“The fact that Michael Eavis supports badger-culling is difficult for me to swallow. I don’t really want to endorse his festival, but it’s not impossible that we could sit down and talk. I’ll talk to anyone – that’s the way we go forward.
Later that year, he also shared details about the BBC documentary, describing the ongoing badger cull in England as a “bloodbath”.
In the footage shared on his social media, May shared that he had visited a farm in South Wales in a “search for the truth” on whether the root of the issue is predominantly due to badgers spreading Bovine TB to cattle – and whether killing badgers will reduce the spread or not.
“And so returning home with another piece of the jigsaw puzzle,” he said, travelling home after visiting the farm. “But at least hats off to Wales for looking for a humane solution. Sadly England is a blood bath… I vow never to give up until the Truth is recognised.”
Back in 2021, he also launched a new fragrance to help protect endangered wildlife. Titled ‘Save Me’, it came as a collaboration between the Queen guitarist and Sergio Momo, the founder of Italian brand Xerjoff.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
