Dairy farmer from Clarkson's Farm thanks viewers after they raise over £30k for her

The dairy farmer whose livestock was devastated by disease says she's overwhelmed after people raised over £30,000 to help her out.

Emma Ledbury runs North Cotswolds Dairy Farm, and appeared on the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm after her cattle were blighted by tuberculosis, a disease which is often spread through to cattle by badgers:

While the woodland species is protected by law to avoid badger-baiting, former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson previously described them as 'evil, vicious b******s', which he says are causing farmers to take their own lives.

As a result of her cattle becoming infected, Emma has only been able to keep her head above water by selling milk and shakes to Clarkson's farm shop.

But after hearing about her story in the Amazon series, fan Beccie Poole decided to set up a fundraising page to help her out.

Prime Video

Speaking to LADbible, she said: "What inspired me to set up the GoFundMe was the fact that this young woman had lost half her herd of cattle to a disease that she has no way of preventing.

"However, no matter how sad and defeated she looked while restocking the shop, she was still out there doing her job and carrying on the best she could.

"It’s inspiring how much strength Emma and farmers like her have, it could be easy to give up and admit defeat. "

Emma's story has really plucked at the heart strings of many others too, with around 2,000 people donating to the cause.

And despite initially having a target of just £10,000, the page has since raised over £30,000.

Responding to the support, Emma says she's completely stunned by it all, and thanked everyone for donating.

Farlap/Alamy

She also revealed what she plans on using the money for.

"I would like to thank Beccie and everyone who has so generously donated to this page and I’m overwhelmed by the support," said Emma.

"I have considered very carefully the responsibility of receiving such considerable donations, and as such would like to invest a percentage on badger-proofing one of the sheds to prevent nose-to-nose contact between badgers and the dairy herd.

"As viewers of Clarkson's Farm will know, many aspects of British farming are demonstrated across the series and I would like to reflect this sentiment by donating the remainder of the contributions to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI).

"The charity is there to help everyone in farming with the practical, emotional and financial support they need.

"Whether it's the ongoing threat of disease, as is the case for me extreme weather or the phasing out of subsidies, there are big challenges in farming year after year."

Emma added that those wishing to get a refund on their donation have until 3 March to do so.