Former Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher has said he knows the work on his small family farm is “valued” and he takes “great pride” in producing food.
The actor, 40, embarked on a new life in the country with his wife Liz and their four young children after buying a 120-acre farm in the Peak District in 2021.
The family has since documented their new pursuit in the TV series Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure and Fletchers’ Family Farm, with a Christmas special set to air on ITV on Sunday.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Saturday, Fletcher said: “I think for me, I personally don’t want to seek any sort of validation elsewhere.
“I know how valued we are as a family and what we do in our small family farm, and I share that with every other family farm.
“You take great pride in producing food and having a real acknowledgement towards nature, towards the habitat. You’re a custodian of the land, and it’s a privilege.”
Fletcher said he hopes programmes like his help “bridge the gap” between farming communities and the public by showing who is producing their food.
“Once you get an understanding of something, like any subject, then appreciation follows, and that’s what we all endeavour to do,” he added.
It comes as farmers have been protesting over changes in the recent Budget to impose inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1 million.
TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who fronts Prime Video’s Clarkson’s Farm which documents the trials of farming on his land in Oxfordshire, joined thousands of farmers in London last month to protest against the agricultural inheritance tax changes.
Asked if he had to rely on his other TV jobs to support his farm like Clarkson, Fletcher said: “I think every farm is different. There’s many farmers out there with second jobs, and I guess I’m one of those farmers with with another job.
“Like I said, ours is a small family farm. Yes, there’s a commercial endeavour there, but I think we’re very mindful that this is a lifestyle change as well for us and that, for me, is just as important as what it does commercially.”
The actor admitted it can feel like they are facing “real adversity” at times due to battling issues like changing weather and prices of inputs.
He added that the farming life can also feel “pretty lonely” and like a “real commitment”, but moments when they are outside in nature make it feel “absolutely worth it”.
The Christmas special of Fletchers’ Family Farm sees the family head to Finland to see how a family farm operates in the harsh conditions of the Arctic Circle.
Reflecting on whether Finnish farmers felt more supported by their country’s system than in the UK, Fletcher said: “I can’t speak on behalf of British farmers, let alone Finnish farmers, I can only give out our take.
“We felt immensely part of a real special community that really looks after one another and is really proud of what they do, and that was very similar over in Finland.”
Fletcher, who rose to fame playing Andy Sugden on ITV soap Emmerdale between 1996 and 2016, shares four young children with his wife Liz – Marnie, Milo and twin boys Maximus and Mateusz.
The actor said that while they are still on a “journey of discovery” with their farm, raising four children can feel like the “biggest challenge” at times.
Fletcher also won the 2019 series of Strictly Come Dancing alongside professional partner Oti Mabuse after being a last-minute replacement for an injured Jamie Laing.