Sunflower grower appears in viral campaign too rude for TV

A PEMBROKESHIRE farmer has landed an unlikely starring role in Jeremy Clarkson’s latest beer advert — which has now gone viral on social media after being banned from TV and radio.

Hugh Thomas, aged 73, who runs a sunflower and pumpkin farm near Newport with his wife Rachel and daughter Helen, was selected to join a specially formed 34-person choir to sing the praises of Clarkson’s Hawkstone lager.

The video shows the choir – said to be made up entirely of farmers – belting out the repeated refrain: “F** me it’s good.”* Mr Thomas is clearly seen among the singers.

The humorous and defiant advert was originally created for television and cinema, but was rejected by the Advertising Standards Authority for breaching broadcast regulations due to strong language. Rather than abandon the campaign, Clarkson posted it online — where it has since racked up hundreds of thousands of views.

“It’s difficult to put into the spoken word how hard it is to make Hawkstone’s lager,” Clarkson says at the start of the film. “So instead, I’ve put it into a song for some farmers to sing.”

The ad ends with Clarkson sipping a pint and declaring, “Hawkstone. It is f***ing good.”

The outspoken presenter criticised regulators for banning the ad, calling them “the fun police” and describing the film as “the best thing I’ve ever made, apart from a Shepherd’s pie in 1988.”

Mr Thomas and his family are well known locally for running a seasonal visitor attraction with sunflower fields in summer and a pumpkin patch in autumn.

Their farm sits between Newport and Moylegrove.

Locals have taken pride in seeing a familiar face feature in the bold and irreverent campaign — which continues to spread rapidly online despite its ban from traditional broadcast.

A CALL to protect Pembrokeshire rural communities, “to ensure no part of our county is forgotten”, was heard by councillors.

At the July 17 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members heard a notice of motion submitted by Cllr Delme Harries, Bro Gwuan county councillor and vice-chair of council, calling for a working group for supporting rural areas.

Cllr Harries’ motion said: “It is increasingly evident that while significant effort and investment has been directed toward revitalising our towns, many of our rural areas are being left behind.

“These communities are the backbone of our agricultural economy, custodians of our landscape, and home to vital heritage and culture and the Welsh language. It is time we restore balance and give our rural communities the attention, voice, and opportunities they deserve.

“To ensure that no part of our county is forgotten, I propose that we establish a dedicated cross-chamber working party focused on reigniting our rural areas — supporting rural enterprise, connectivity, housing, access to essential services and how we can help young people to live and work locally.”

Members agreed the notice be sent to the council’s services overview and scrutiny committee for discussion, the call potentially returning to a future meeting.

OPPOSITION politicians called on the Welsh Government to bring forward a final, binding vote before introducing revised plans for financial support for farmers.

Samuel Kurtz, the Conservatives’ shadow rural affairs secretary, led a debate on the protest-plagued proposals for the sustainable farming scheme (SFS) on July 16.

He said: “Today, we’re simply asking that this Senedd be given the opportunity to vote: a final, binding vote on the sustainable farming scheme before it is implemented. We all remember last year’s protests. We know the strength of feeling across the country.

“A scheme of this scale, affecting over 80% of Wales’ land, must carry democratic legitimacy. Let us vote. Let the elected members of this chamber, from every corner of Wales and from every party, have their say.”

Mr Kurtz told the Senedd: “If ministers want farmers to sign up, they need to rebuild trust. That starts with transparency. And the way you secure consent is by putting this scheme to a full, binding vote in this chamber.”

The former journalist, who is from a farming family, warned of a “cliff-edge” in the transition from the basic payment scheme (BPS), which is set to fall by 40%, to the SFS.

He said: “With such a steep drop, they’re either being forced into a scheme they may not fully believe in or are forced away from farm subsidies altogether, subsidies that keep Welsh farms afloat, and food prices down.

“And if you don’t join the SFS, you forfeit your BPS. If you do join the SFS, you forfeit your BPS entitlements. There’s no going back… for you and your business. Is it any wonder anxiety is soaring? Is it any surprise that our farmers’ mental health is deteriorating?”

He accused the Welsh and UK Governments of having disregard for farmers, warning of a “broken” relationship with rural Wales.

Plaid Cymru’s Llŷr Gruffydd said it was only right that the Senedd should have an opportunity to have its say on the SFS, so his party would support the Conservative motion.

Labour’s Lesley Griffiths, a former rural affairs minister, said: “It is vital any new subsidy payments… work not just for the agricultural sector but for the Welsh taxpayer too.

“Public goods for public money and payment for things you cannot buy elsewhere: enhanced habitat management, enhanced woodland management, improved soil health – all alongside sustainable land management objectives.”

She was extremely disappointed to see Welsh ministers cut a target of 43,000 hectares of new woodland by more than 60%, with plans for 10% tree cover on every farm ditched.

Peter Fox, a Tory council leader-turned Senedd Member, said he was planning to retire as a farmer having “just about had enough”, with the new SFS “still laden with bureaucracy”.

“Most farmers just want to farm,” he said. “They want to produce food and they want to look after their farm… but the priority in this SFS is clearly no longer food production.”

Labour’s Lee Waters warned the debate around farming has been dragged into “culture wars”, with divisions heightened by political debate.

He said it feels like farming unions are fixated on a grievance narrative that opposition parties seek to amplify, becoming the political wing of the farming unions.

The former minister told Senedd Members: “I’ve stopped attending union meetings on farms. The farming unions are the only groups I’ve come across who think effective engagement involves inviting a local representative to meet a group of men to be shouted at.

“To be fair, the tactics did vary a bit: sometimes, I was shouted at in a cold, mucky yard –  sometimes, I was shouted at in the warm, over tea and lovely Welsh cakes.”

Mr Waters said farming funding, which was protected while the UK was in the EU, now needs to make its case within the Welsh budget alongside health and education.

He stressed: “Wales now receives less money – £1bn less. That’s what Brexit has meant. Now, I’m not sure how people who voted for Wales to get less money now argue that we should spend even more on farming support. This is unserious.”

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said Senedd Members would get an opportunity to vote on regulations related to payment rates underpinning the scheme in the autumn.

“You can have your say then,” he said. “If you do not like the design of the scheme, if you want to force more delay, if you want to force more uncertainty on the farming community, good luck to you because they will not thank you.”

In the final vote before the Welsh Parliament breaks for summer recess, Senedd Members voted narrowly, 22-20, against the opposition motion.