Clarkson blasts ‘mad’ school dinners as Welsh kids fed chicken from China and Thailand

The former Top Gear host — now better known to many as a working farmer thanks to his hit Amazon series Clarkson’s Farm — has waded into the controversy after it emerged children across Wales are being served chicken from countries including China, Thailand and Brazil.

And he’s speaking from experience.

Since taking over Diddly Squat Farm, Clarkson has repeatedly highlighted the financial pressures, regulations and challenges facing British farmers — something he says makes the school meals situation even harder to understand.

Swansea figures spark outrage

As previously revealed by Swansea Bay News, the situation in south west Wales has left many readers stunned.

In Swansea itself, just 2.33% of the chicken used in school meals comes from the UK, with the vast majority imported — including a significant proportion from outside Europe altogether.

Elsewhere in the region, the picture is no clearer. Carmarthenshire Council admitted using chicken from outside the EU to cater for halal dietary requests but declined to say where it came from, while Pembrokeshire also refused to provide detailed figures. Neath Port Talbot did not respond to requests for information.

Across Wales, the figures become even more stark. In Merthyr Tydfil, almost all school chicken — more than 99% — is imported, while in Gwynedd the vast majority is sourced from countries including Brazil, Thailand and China.

Perhaps most striking of all, not a single council in Wales was able to confirm how much of the chicken served to children is actually Welsh.

Clarkson: “It makes no sense”

Writing in a national newspaper column, Clarkson said the situation left him completely baffled.

“How is it possible to ship a chicken all the way from Chiang Mai to Bridgend and for it to arrive with a lower price tag than a chicken reared two miles down the road?”

He blamed government policy for creating what he sees as a deeply unfair system — something he says he’s experienced first-hand.

“It’s the government that imposes unbelievably strict and expensive standards on British farmers — and then allows imports that don’t follow anything like the same rules.”

Clarkson said those rules — while often well-intentioned — can leave UK farmers struggling to compete.

“Jumping through all these hoops makes farming here clean and efficient… but it also makes it more expensive.”

‘British farmers being priced out’

Drawing on his own experience running a farm, Clarkson warned that UK agriculture is being squeezed from all sides.

He pointed to bans on certain pesticides and stricter welfare rules in Britain compared to other countries — arguing that while they may protect the environment and animals, they also drive up costs.

“We do the right thing here… and then import food from places that don’t.”

He said the result is a system where British farmers are effectively being undercut in their own market.

“British farmers are being priced… into the bankruptcy court.”

A system “no one can fix”?

Clarkson also suggested the problem may be bigger than government alone, pointing to global trade rules that limit what the UK can do about imports.

“On the face of it, there’s not a damn thing we can do about it.”

But he did offer one solution — urging consumers and organisations to pay closer attention to where food comes from.

“If there’s a little red tractor, it means the food you’re buying was grown here in the UK.”

Parents and farmers hit out

The revelations have sparked a wave of frustration across Wales, particularly among farming families who feel they are being undercut in their own communities.

Many parents have also been left questioning what exactly is ending up on their children’s plates, and why food is being shipped thousands of miles when high-quality produce is available locally.

Critics say the situation simply doesn’t add up in a country with such strong agricultural roots, while campaigners warn it risks undermining both environmental goals and confidence in the food system.

Pressure mounting in Wales

The growing backlash is now turning the issue into a wider political and public debate.

Campaigners are calling for councils to be far more open about where school food comes from, while also pushing for changes that would allow more Welsh produce to be used in public sector meals.

There is also increasing pressure to reduce reliance on imported meat altogether, particularly at a time when local farmers are facing rising costs and uncertainty.

A row far from over

With a high-profile voice like Clarkson — and his very public farming struggles — now adding fuel to the fire, the debate over school meals in Wales shows no sign of slowing down.

And for many, the question remains:

Why are Welsh children eating imported chicken… when it could be produced on their own doorstep?

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Chicken from China and Thailand served in school dinners as Welsh farmers ‘cut out of the system’

A major investigation by the Countryside Alliance has exposed how councils across Wales are relying on frozen chicken shipped thousands of miles around the world, even in rural areas surrounded by farms and food producers.

The data shows that Swansea Council sourced just 2.33% of its school‑meal chicken from the UK. The rest came from the EU and from China, Thailand and Brazil — with 31.96% imported from outside Europe.

Carmarthenshire Council admitted using frozen chicken from outside the EU but refused to say how much or from which countries. Pembrokeshire Council also declined to provide percentages, saying only that it used “some” UK and EU chicken.

Neath Port Talbot Council did not respond at all.

Bridgend was one of only two councils in Wales able to confirm that 100% of its chicken came from the UK.

The Countryside Alliance said the findings show a “systemic failure” to support Welsh farmers, with procurement rules and large contracts favouring cheap imports over local produce.

Across Wales, the worst figures were recorded in Merthyr Tydfil, where 99.35% of chicken served to pupils came from China and Thailand. Conwy reported 94% from Thailand and Brazil. Gwynedd — a predominantly rural county — reported 87.62% from Brazil, Thailand and China.

The report also revealed that not one council in Wales could say what proportion of its school‑meal chicken was actually Welsh.

The figures have caused uproar among farming families.

Hefin Jones, a father of three and a farmer in Conwy, said he was “deeply disappointed and frustrated” to learn that 94% of the chicken used in his local schools came from Thailand and Brazil.

“As parents we do our best to feed our kids nutritious healthy food, while our council disrespects the health and safety of our kids,” he said.

The Countryside Alliance said the situation made no sense in a country that prides itself on high food standards and strong farming communities.

Rachel Evans, Director of Countryside Alliance Wales, said:

“As a mother and a farmer, I’m shocked and disappointed. When we have such high‑quality Welsh and British produce, so much of the chicken our children are eating is being shipped in from the other side of the world.”

She said the Welsh Government’s own sustainability policies were being undermined by public bodies serving imported chicken “flown or shipped in from as far away as Thailand, China and Brazil”.

The Alliance said procurement rules were stacked against Welsh farmers, with councils tied into large contracts that favour cheap imports over local produce. It also warned that many councils could not trace where their chicken came from, calling the lack of transparency “deeply concerning”.

The Welsh Local Government Association defended councils, saying imported chicken was sometimes used because of cost pressures and availability, and insisted all chicken must meet UK food safety standards.

The Welsh Government said it was working with councils and suppliers to shorten supply chains and increase the use of Welsh food in schools.

But the issue has now erupted into a political row, with the Welsh Conservatives accusing Plaid Cymru and Labour of presiding over a system that imports chicken from thousands of miles away while Welsh farmers struggle.

Welsh Conservative Shadow Education Secretary Natasha Asghar MS said:

“Food for our children should be sourced within Wales wherever possible. Local authorities should be supporting Welsh farmers and producers, not shipping frozen chicken halfway around the world.”

She said the current approach “undermines food security” and raised questions about value for money and standards.

Welsh Conservative Shadow Rural Affairs Secretary Samuel Kurtz MS said:

“Welsh farmers are being undercut here. Plaid and Labour are importing frozen chicken from thousands of miles away while Reform would prioritise chlorinated chicken from the US. Using locally sourced Welsh produce would strengthen farm incomes, support rural jobs and shorten supply chains.”

The Countryside Alliance is now calling for urgent reform of school‑meal procurement, including mandatory reporting on where food comes from and new rules that allow councils to prioritise Welsh and British produce.

"I think that once you say that every child needs to get a healthy school meal every day – whether they’re, rich, poor, in a deprived neighbourhood or wherever – that’s a minimum standard that would make quite a lot of sense in Europe.
It’s not left or right, or liberal or green, it’s really just a smart thing to do.”
Peter Defranceschi, SchoolFood4Change
#FreeSchoolMeals #SchoolDinners #Children #EUPolitics

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/13/children-should-get-one-healthy-school-meal-a-day-say-eu-experts?CMP=GTUK_email