Our Yorkshire Farm's Amanda Owen fumes 'it's the opposite' over criticism about children

Mum-of-nine Amanda Owen has faced criticism in the past over treatment of the animals on her Yorkshire farm.

Viewers of Our Farm Next Door, the Channel 4 series that follows the everyday life of the "Yorkshire Shepherdess" and her extended family as they rear sheep and other livestock on their rugged hill farm, have often taken issue with Amanda's farming methods.

But she's shrugged off criticism in the past, and in a new interview for the Country Life podcast, the 51-year-old is pushing back at her critics once again. Amanda insists that the animals on her farm are not pets and says she sees no problem with her children eating the livestock they've raised.

Responding to those who believe it's wrong for her children to eat lamb, she said: "It's the opposite to what they think.

"What about having the knowledge that that animal had a good life, that it was cared for, that it was looked after, and that it was slaughtered in a humane and good way? That doesn't leave any bad taste in your mouth."

She says that many viewers of her TV shows - most of whom have no experience of farming - aren't really in a position to judge.

"I feel like people want a sanitised version of everything, but then complain that they also want reality - and you can't have it both ways," she explained.

"That was part of the reason I enjoyed writing [her new book], because for us and our life here, it's all about the farm, the children, the animals, how things are, the weather, the sheep, everything."

Amanda adds that while it's encouraging that programmes like Clarkson's Farm and her own documentaries have inspired people to feel more "passionate" about the countryside and take an interest in modern farming, it's still too easy to become an armchair critic.

"You're a farmer with animals as a commodity, or you have a pet," she says.

Amanda saw huge backlash, for example, when she posted a photo to Instagram showing her 21-year-old son Reuben restraining a ewe by its horn. Viewers flooded the comments with criticism, writing things like: "Why are you treating the ewe like that? Absolutely disgusting," and "I didn't like how you held the sheep! Absolutely disturbing! Animals are treated with respect and not like trash."

However, not everyone agreed. Several commenters came to Amanda's defence, arguing that her critics didn't understand the realities of farm life.

One wrote: "Too many folk commenting who haven't got a clue how farming or handling livestock works.

"Maybe throw the moaners in for a day when sheep need shearing or cattle need TB testing to make sure the lovely badgers haven't passed their disease on - then see how they feel."

You can judge for yourself by watching The Yorkshire Shepherdess in her latest series, Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids, available to stream for free on Channel 4.

You can also watch the original series, Our Yorkshire Farm, on streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video and More4, which also airs new episodes of Our Farm Next Door.