Countryfile presenter declares ‘end of an era’ as he prepares to depart his farm
Countryfile presenter Adam Henson has declared the “end of an era” as he prepares to leave his Cotswold farm.
The farmer and presenter is due to vacate the 650-hectare Cotswolds Farm Park estate when the tenancy runs out. His father, Joe, started the farm in 1971.
Henson and his wife Charlie plan to relocate to the estate’s nearby bungalows due to the fact his children have expressing no desire to take up farming having pursued other careers.
Speaking to The Express, Henson said: “My dad was ahead of his time by opening a farm for people to come and visit, bottle-feed a lamb or hold a chick.
“While I was pulling on my wellies and chasing my dad out of the door to join him on the farm, my own children aren’t interested in a career in farming.
“Sure, they can lamb a sheep and drive a tractor, but my daughter lives in Perth as an events organiser and my son is a financial advisor in Leeds.”
He added: “So when the tenancy runs out in 12 years’ time, Charlie and I are moving to a bungalow close by in Winchcombe, where we have a few acres and will keep a few sheep and the dogs. It will be the end of an era, but I will still be able to enjoy the lovely countryside.”
It comes after Henson insisted that farmers are more focused on the environment now, pointing to a target set by the National Farmers’ Union to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for agriculture in England and Wales by 2040, a decade earlier than the government’s goal.
He urged the public to “eat British food and don’t buy cheap food from abroad. It’s about understanding where your food comes from and making informed choices, not having a knee-jerk reaction because you’ve read something on social media,” he added.
Henson, 59, first began working in TV in 2001 and quickly gained a prominent position on Countryfile. In 2009 he began presenting the weekly “Adam’s Farm” segment which documented the ups and downs of a running a mixed farm in the Cotswolds.
Countryfile began in 1989 and is still going strong today where it is currently presented by the likes of John Craven, Matt Baker, Helen Skelton and Tom Heap.
