FARMERS from Oxfordshire 'did try' to 'invite' Jeremy Clarkson to their protest.

Yesterday morning, Oxfordshire Food and Farming Rally took place outside county hall 

The protest took place following an Oxfordshire County Council motion that was passed, which would see vegan-only food served at council events and encourage schools to have a vegan menu option ‘at least twice a week’.

Farmers across the county have said the move sends a ‘bad message’ to the public, explaining that it suggests sustainable food sources can only be found if one is vegan.

Others working in the Oxfordshire agriculture sector said that they were concerned about the ‘ripple effect’ such a motion would have on members of the public – ultimately damaging small-scale farmers' businesses.

Following the protest, Top Gear star and now Oxfordshire farm owner, Jeremy Clarkson, took to Twitter to announce that he ‘wished’ that he had been told about the protest.

He said: “Farmers of Oxfordshire. I wish I’d known about your protest today. I would have been there like a shot.”

Clarkson went on to say that the motion was ‘Madness. Utter, utter madness’.

This morning, however, the organisers of the protest have said they did ‘try’ to get Clarkson along to the rally.

Speaking to the Oxford Mail, Caroline Newton said: “We did try to invite Jeremy Clarkson.

“We don’t know him so we spoke to someone close to him - but were told he wasn’t around in any case.

“Of course, we appreciate what Jeremy has done to promote Oxfordshire farming - and the challenges farmers face.  We are in this together.

“We’d love to talk to Jeremy about how we can work together across the county to support farmers and promote the delicious, healthy food produced here in Oxfordshire.”

The motion is set to be approved by Cabinet on March 24.