Latest news with #livelihood
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Clarkson's Farm star Harriet Cowan admits she is ‘not making any money from farming' despite show appearance
CLARKSON'S Farm star Harriet Cowen has opened up on how little the farming industry earns – revealing she makes no money. The 24-year-old made her debut on the latest season of Jeremy Clarkson' s beloved Prime Video documentary as a helping hand at Diddly Squat farm. 5 5 5 A social media star thanks to her TikToks dancing on her tractor, Harriet's main livelihood comes from farming, having grown up on her granddad's livestock farm. But Harriet revealed that the industry has little financial gain for the family, explaining it's a lifestyle more than a business. Speaking on BBC's Farmwatch, she explained: "We cannot reiterate how important this is for us, that we don't do this because it's going to make us money. Because probably 90% of farms do not make money from the farm, I know I don't." The Great British Bake Off's Mike Wilkins added it was because farmers don't pay themselves, with any money being fed back into the farm. Agreeing, Harriet added: "We just work for free seven days a week, and it becomes such a lonely, lonely place." "Profitability is so under pressure," added Mike. "Most farms aren't making any money, and people really are doing it because it's their lifestyle." Harriet joined the team at Diddly Squat Farm when regular face Kaleb Cooper was on tour promoting his book. Away from the series, Harriet is a full-time nurse as well as helping on her family's farm. A new series of Clarkson's Farm is currently being filmed, and promises to show the most brutal side of the farming world yet with Diddly Squat suffering due to weather and illness outbreaks including an outbreak of Bovine Tuberculosis. Earlier today, Jeremy shared they're preparing for a 'disastrous' harvest as a result of the issues they've faced. Jeremy Clarkson suffers another blow as he reveals beloved dog died as Diddly Squat closed for 2 MONTHS over TB outbreak "It looks like this year's harvest will be catastrophic," he wrote on X. "That should be a worry for anyone who eats food. "If a disaster on this scale had befallen any other industry, there would be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth." When one fan told him that this particular 'drama' will make 'good TV' in a future episode of Clarkson's Farm, the former Top Gear star replied: 'Yes. But most farms don't have TV shows to keep them going.' 5 5
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Fleetwood trawlerman fears livelihood will be lost through ban
One of the last surviving commercial fishermen in a coastal town said potential bans on a type of trawling could kill off his government is proposing a ban on a "destructive" type of fishing that drags large nets along the seabed - known as "bottom trawling".John Worthington, 59, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, does not believe a ban in areas such as Morecambe Bay is needed, because the number of fishing boats has tailed off compared to previous told the Local Democracy Reporting Service if the plans go ahead to prohibit using bottom towed gear, it will force him to fish 20 miles out to sea which he said would be untenable and unsafe for his small vessels. The measures are being considered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and a 12-week consultation is running until 1 Bay, where Mr Worthington fishes, is among the 42 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) being considered for the said habitats and species are at risk from damaging fishing activity and their protection and recovery will contribute to healthier marine ecosystems and support the long-term sustainability of commercial fish Worthington has two small commercial fishing vessels - a trawler and a prawner - which are under 33ft (10m).The fisherman, who has been in the trade since he was a teenager, said: "If they go ahead with this, it will force me to fish out of my area and I'll be 20 miles out. "That is too far for a small boat like mine, it isn't safe."We have already been barred from some of our existing fishing grounds and now this. How do they expect us to make a living?" The UK's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations has pushed back on the claims of environmental impact with chief executive Mike Cohen previously saying: "Trawling does not damage most of the seabed."Trawls penetrate the sediment very little, if at all, in most areas and trawling has been carried out for well over 100 years."Mr Worthington, who is based in Jubilee Quay, is one of a handful of Fleetwood fishermen left from the once huge industry in the town, which dramatically collapsed when deep sea fishermen were banned from their traditional fishing grounds off Iceland after the final Cod War in acting chief executive Michelle Willis said: "Our latest proposals are based on draft fisheries assessments which have concluded management measures are necessary to ensure, beyond reasonable scientific doubt, that the conservation objectives of the MPAs included in the stage can be achieved." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Arab News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Afghan cattle farmers fear for future and flock as Pakistan deportation threat looms
ISLAMABAD: Saeed Khan tapped his wooden staff rhythmically as he guided over two dozen cattle and sheep into a livestock enclosure bound by mud and fencing fashioned out of thorny branches. The soft sound of hooves over the dusty ground could be heard as Khan went about his work, with the occasional sound of bleats filling the air. Khan, 48, is a member of the nomadic Kuchi tribe that traces its origins to Afghanistan. The Kuchis depend on animals for their livelihood and their movements historically were determined by the weather and the availability of good pastures. Khan, whose ancestors used to come to Pakistan only during the winters and would return to the high-altitude pastures of Afghanistan during summers, made Pakistan his permanent home in the '80s, but he now fears for the future, with Islamabad's June 30 deadline for Afghan Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders to leave the country over by almost two weeks. 'At first, there wasn't any card issue,' Khan told Arab News, minding his flock in Islamabad. 'Our people didn't know much about it. It's only now that the problem has come up, that we've realized.' The problem Khan referred to is a controversial deportation drive that Pakistan launched in 2023 against what it described as 'illegal foreigners,' mostly Afghans, in the country. Islamabad this year said it wanted 3 million Afghans to leave the country, including 1.4 million people with PoR cards and some 800,000 with Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC). According to data from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 900,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since the expulsion drive began. While Pakistan deported thousands of ACC holders, the government said those with PoR cards could stay until June 30. The Pakistan government cites economic stress and security concerns as reasons to push ahead with the expulsion drive, while human rights advocates say the move threatens people who have lived in Pakistan for decades and contributed significantly to its informal economy and urban infrastructure. The Kuchi nomads would spend the winters in the Indus Valley region or parts of southern Afghanistan and Balochistan before heading for the Hindu Kush mountains in the summer each year, according to Professor Thomas Barfield, president of the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies and a leading anthropologist on Afghan culture at Boston University. Presently, they number around a million in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Khan, after settling in Pakistan, has raised animals not only to sell them for the Eid Al-Adha sacrifice, when cattle are in high demand, but also for exports. 'I do both cattle and sheep [farming],' Khan explained. 'Especially Turkish sheep for sacrifice. [But] most of our animals go to factories, one in Raiwind Lahore, one in Kasur, one in Kamoke, then they're exported abroad.' There are many mud shelters near Khan's home along the Qur'ang river in Islamabad that now lie abandoned. They were once inhabited by Kuchi families who had ACCs but were expelled by Pakistani authorities. The empty shelters serve as a stark reminder for Khan and other PoR card-holders such as his nephew, Mohammad Ullah, of what the future may bring. 'This place where they used to live, they left it as they were,' Ullah told Arab News, pointing to the empty huts. Some ACC holders remain, concealing their identity out of fear of deportation, but the majority of Kuchis here holds PoR cards. Some of the Kuchis were left out when they were being registered as they were away herding animals in remote areas. A Kuchi person, who spoke to Arab News on condition of anonymity, said his entire family had PoR cards except for him. 'The thing is, we have six children here. If I go to Afghanistan, my children will stay here, right?' he asked. 'So, what will I do there, and what will they do here?' Khan also worries about his livestock and says he would have to sell them all if Pakistani authorities forced him to leave. 'Because they won't let us take it across the border [to Afghanistan],' he said, bearing a tensed look on his face.
CNA
27-06-2025
- General
- CNA
Farmers in Bali hope to preserve salak heritage amid changing times
The native salak, or snake fruit, has long been more than just a crop in Indonesia. The fruit is a way of life and a vital source of livelihood passed down through generations. In the final of a three-part series on the fruit, CNA's Chandni Vatvani examines efforts in Bali to preserve the heritage for the future.
BBC News
09-05-2025
- BBC News
Pelsall circus owner says break-ins could end the business
The director of a travelling circus which was subject to a double break-in says the burglary could spell the end of the arriving at Pelsall Common, near Walsall, last week, Circus Cortex has twice been targeted by thieves, who damaged the tent and stole three motorbikes worth between £15,000 and £20, Archer said the business had already been struggling to draw its usual crowds this year."This is our livelihood," she said. "Literally, this could be make or break." Circus Cortex, which has been touring the country for five seasons, began its visit to Pelsall on 1 May and had been due to perform until Sunday, before moving to Bakewell, Nottingham, Kingswinford and week, thieves slashed the big top in three places, causing about £2,000 worth of damage, and broke into the box office, where they stole about £ Thursday night, three motorbikes which were part of the Globe of Death performance - which Ms Archer described as "a highlight of the show" - were taken, along with safety equipment like helmets."It's obviously going to be a shorter performance, and not as exciting for the public unfortunately - but what can we do?" asked Ms Archer. "For us to perform, we need the bikes."But I'm not in a position to fork another £20,000 out." The bikes - and their riders - had been specially imported from Brazil, Venezuela and Archer said the circus was already "on its knees" because the cost of living crisis meant people were staying explained: "We were thinking we would have to shut down in a week or two if the business doesn't improve because it's the first time in five years we're actually struggling to tick over."And then this [the thefts] are putting an extra strain on it."We've got 25 employees here who are dependent on the performance and a lot of their families depend on them sending money home, because I still have quite a few Ukrainians here on the Ukraine scheme."Ms Archer has reported the thefts to West Midlands force has been contacted for comment. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
