Top 10 Countryfile Controversies

#10: Wildfires

In July 2023, amid massive heat waves that the UK largely avoided that year, “Countryfile” talked about a growing threat to British nature: wildfires. You might think that this is a worthy topic to raise awareness of, since it’s not something that’s really happened regularly in the UK until recently, but apparently not! People took to social media to complain that “Countryfile” had “gone woke” for covering the wildfires, even though you’d think that talking about fires, which seriously affect the landscape and countryside, is well within the show’s remit. Why are you watching it if you’re going to get angry when any environmental issues come up? Who knows.

#9: Rural Dentists

In early 2024, the show received backlash for doing an item about dentistry. The show defended itself by saying it covers rural issues and the lack of NHS dentists in low-populated areas is a very important one, but people still weren’t happy. Some viewers thought that talking about access to dentistry was too “political”, even though the show was raising a valid point about how hard it can be for the farmers “Countryfile” is meant to champion and their families to stay healthy without dental care. The BBC’s statement said that the show had talked about medical issues in rural communities before, and stood by the programme.

#8: Wensleydale Railway

In an August 2025 edition of “Countryfile”, some viewers were absolutely horrified when John Craven visited a railway. To be fair, the entire episode was dedicated to Craven’s visit to Wensleydale Railway in North Yorkshire, but did it merit so many complaints from the Daily Mail and its readership? Craven was raising awareness of the recently reopened heritage railway, which takes passengers through the scenic Yorkshire Dales. The show was accused of “scraping the bottom of the barrel” and also becoming too much like “The One Show”. But maybe they all live too far away from Wensleydale to enjoy the train journey – or don’t want to pay the £25 fare.

#7: Shooting

Finally, a controversy that really WAS to do with farming: shooting and gamekeeping. The show headed to a country estate to talk about recreational shooting, with viewers hating the way the show didn’t portray shooting as something abhorrent. But gamekeeping is certainly part of rural life, with many large estates – farms among them – using recreational shooting as a way to generate more revenue. It’s also not harmful to the environment to shoot responsibly. But still, people thought that the episode needed a warning, and that it was tone deaf to make an episode covering an expensive hobby during the cost-of-living crisis.

#6: Badger Culling

After fox hunting, badger culling might be the most divisive issue facing the British countryside, and it’s been that way for decades. Many people are absolutely opposed to culling badgers because it’s both cruel and isn’t actually that effective according to some studies. Still, the farmers whose cattle are at risk of contracting bovine TB from badgers – which can, in rare cases, infect humans through contaminated milk – are generally in favour of culling, so “Countryfile” had a look at the issue. But taking a balanced look at something was too much for the people at home, who accused the show of advocating a mass slaughter of badgers. One person even tried to dub it “badgergate”.

#5: Ewe Culling

More culling, in 2024, Adam Henson was again in bother after selecting fifteen of his ewes for culling during a programme. The sheep he chose were old or ill and therefore wouldn’t be good for the next lambing season. It sounds cutthroat, but remember that if Henson keeps unproductive sheep on his farm, he’s paying to look after them without getting anything – i.e., meat – in return. Though he explained that one of the big reasons they cull sheep who are losing their teeth is because they can’t eat properly anymore, people still wanted a warning, or thought that those sheep shouldn’t go to slaughter.

#4: Farmers’ Mental Health

This episode was derided by some viewers for being “depressing”, covering yet another health issue and the way it specifically affects farmers. If you know anything about farming, you know it’s lonely and brutal work, with Adam Henson specifically discussing a farmer he was friends with who tragically took his own life. As for the episode itself, though, people didn’t want “Countryfile” to talk about mental health, with one person even saying that this wasn’t a serious issue and shouldn’t be discussed on the programme. Despite the complaints, “Countryfile” has continued to talk about mental health during mental health awareness week each year.

#3: Cow Battery Farming

In 2021, “Countryfile” visited a farm in County Down that had a “zero grazing” system, as they described it. Their cows were kept indoors year-round, with the owners explaining the measures they went through to keep the cattle happy while basically never letting them out – all because it’s cheaper and more efficient to keep them inside. You can imagine that people were outraged, accusing “Countryfile” of promoting battery farming cows by not being critical enough. Worse, “Countryfile” keeps rebroadcasting this segment in compilations despite it generating masses of complaints every time, with people desperate to see the cows allowed to run free.

#2: Lambing Season

In 2025, “Countryfile” aired an entire special episode about that year’s lambing season, with Adam Henson again in the firing line. This time, viewers were angry about lambs being sent to slaughter, complaining online about the cruelty of separating lambs from their mothers. But after endless complaints about the show not focusing enough on real farming, people are now also complaining about too much of it, with the show not shying away from the difficult realities of sending animals to slaughter. But if that wasn’t distressing enough, other viewers complained about being made to feel sick after watching ewes giving birth in the same episode.

#1: Ageism

Is this the only “Countryfile” controversy that isn’t just a nontroversy? Perhaps. In 2009, long-term presenter Miriam O’Reilly was dismissed from the programme, and she decided to take the BBC to court for sex and age discrimination. Other female presenters were also caught in the firing line at the BBC. After over a year and a drawn-out employment tribunal, it was ruled that the BBC really HAD discriminated against O’Reilly for ageism, despite the channel’s controller saying that actually, she’d been sacked because most of the audience didn’t know who she was. But she’s sadly rarely appeared on television since.

Let us know in the comments whether you watch “Countryfile” or just don’t bother anymore.