Jeremy Clarkson has spoken out against the standard of meals provided in British schools following revelations that poultry sourced from China has been finding its way onto children’s plates.

The television presenter has built his career on motoring programmes including Top Gear and The Grand Tour, collaborating throughout with fellow presenters Richard Hammond and James May.

More recently, Clarkson has broadened his viewership through Clarkson’s Farm, a documentary series on Prime Video that has proven immensely popular.

Four seasons have aired to acclaim, while a fifth season completed production in September and awaits broadcast later this year.

The programme documents operations at Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington alongside the running of The Farmer’s Dog, a public house Clarkson operates in Asthall near Burford in the Cotswolds.

The establishment opened its doors in August 2024 and operates under a strict policy of exclusively stocking British-sourced produce for all food and drink offerings.

This commitment to domestically-sourced ingredients appears to underpin Clarkson’s latest broadside against school catering arrangements, specifically his objection to meat products being imported from China for consumption by pupils.

In a recent opinion piece published in The Sunday Times, the broadcaster addressed the situation of Asian poultry appearing on menus in Welsh educational establishments.

He questioned the economics of transporting poultry across such vast distances at competitive prices compared to locally-reared alternatives.

Clarkson also advocated for consumers to seek out the Red Tractor assurance mark when purchasing provisions, noting that the symbol confirms ingredients originate from British farms adhering to rigorous safety and welfare standards.

He expressed the view that regulatory bodies had shown reluctance to restrict imports from operations associated with disease or animal welfare concerns, leaving shoppers to make informed choices through their purchasing decisions.