Reuben Owen’s girlfriend Jess has opened up about her fears after dreading the potential loss of animals on her family’s farm.
The couple appear together on Life in the Dales, joined by friends Sonny and Capper, along with their families, including Reuben’s brothers Myles and Sid and his father Clive.
As the show captures the triumphs and struggles of farm life, Jess and her father David spoke candidly about their anxieties surrounding bovine tuberculosis and its potential impact on their herd during Tuesday’s episode.
Bovine tuberculosis is a serious respiratory illness that can prove utterly devastating, with Jeremy Clarkson having previously spoken about the heartbreak he endured at his Diddly Squat farm after discovering his livestock had been affected.
As this week’s episode of Life in the Dales got underway, the narrator cautioned that “tensions were running high” at Brough Castle farm, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“Are you nervous?” Reuben asked David. He replied: “Ah, very,” as he went on to explain how the lung infection could be passed on from one cow to “quite a few”.
“There’s no cure for TB, so that’s why the cows have to be slaughtered until you’ve eradicated it.”
“It’s worrying,” he added, as Reuben pointed out that Jess was particularly worried because of how close she was to the cows on the farm.
After the vet arrived, David went on to say how he was “dreading” waiting to hear if his cows were suffering from TB, while Jess shared her devastation at the thought of the slaughters.
Petting her favourite cow, she said: “If we had TB, it would be awful, not just for the business side, but these are like family members to me, these cows. I know them inside and out.”
She added: “It’s a horrible gut feeling, the constant worry.”
Reuben later explained the stress Jess’ family were feeling over the TB concerns to his dad Clive, who replied: “It’s a big worry for folk, it is. A lot of stress.”
As they waited for test results and feared losing her herd to TB, Jess said: “I love what I do, I’ve done it since I was tiny, it’s my dream job.
“I just love every part of it. I love getting up in the morning and seeing all the cows. These cows, we’ve bred them over the years, grandad’s bred them, and we’ve still got the same bloodline coming through.
“If we lost all these cows in one day, it would be devastating. Words can’t really describe, it would be heartbreaking.”
Thankfully, Jess and her family were relieved to hear their cows did not test positive for TB and were safe from slaughter.
“Amazing, brilliant,” Jess said, as David added, “All our worries are over and the stresses.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Jess added, with Reuben saying, “That is brilliant news, we’re all alright, fighting fit.”
Jess has previously spoken about her love for her family farm and her upbringing there.
In a 2023 article for Farmers Guardian, Jessica, then 18, said: “Farming is in my blood: I grew up on Brough Castle Farm and remember helping my mum and dad in the fields from a young age. Since then, it is all I have ever wanted to do.
“I am now working full-time alongside my dad and taking on more responsibilities for different parts of the farm, which is really exciting. I have always loved working with animals too, particularly cows and sheep; they have their own personalities, and I feel like I know them all. Because I have grown up with them since I was very little, I see all the animals as part of our family.”
