Rachel Martin

Rachel Martin Profile Picture

Rachel Martin specialises in writing about agri-business, food production and dairying. Previously she worked as a business reporter at one of Northern Ireland’s biggest daily newspapers. In 2017, she was named one of IFAJ's 10 Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism. She is currently secretary of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists in Northern Ireland. When she’s not writing, Rachel can usually be found in the milking parlour at home in Co. Down with her family's 130 cows.

‘Resilience payment’ to be central to new NI farm support proposals
‘Resilience payment’ to be central to new NI farm support proposals

Civil servants in Northern Ireland have given the first official outline of how new farm support payments could look in...

Straw importers advised of new rules for moving bales from GB to NI
Straw importers advised of new rules for moving bales from GB to NI

Straw and hay importers will have to meet new rules when moving bales from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, the...

Royal Welsh Agricultural Show cancelled for 2021
Royal Welsh Agricultural Show cancelled for 2021

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society has announced plans to cancel three of its major shows for 2021 while the showgrounds...

Treasury refuses to replace £15.3 million EU TB fund for Northern Ireland
Treasury refuses to replace £15.3 million EU TB fund for Northern Ireland

Westminster has refused to step in to replace a £15.3 million EU fund ring-fenced for TB eradication efforts in Northern Ireland,...

Criminal investigation launched into north-west landslide 
Criminal investigation launched into north-west landslide 

A criminal investigation has been launched into a devastating landslide which transformed a natural beauty spot in the north-west into a...

World feed production up 1% in 2020
World feed production up 1% in 2020

The 10th annual Alltech Global Feed Survey estimates world feed production increased by 1% to 1,187.7 million metric tonnes. The...

FBIS Tier 1 funding doubled to £15 million
FBIS Tier 1 funding doubled to £15 million

Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has doubled funding for the latest tranche of Tier 1 of the Farm Business...

Poots calls on GB counterparts to take step in over soil and plant trade restrictions
Poots calls on GB counterparts to take step in over soil and plant trade restrictions

Northern Ireland’s Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has called on his counterparts in the rest of the UK to take action...

‘Coping with the Pressures of Farming’ workshops to return for second year
‘Coping with the Pressures of Farming’ workshops to return for second year

Rural mental health charity Rural Support has announced the return of its ‘Coping with the Pressures of Farming’ workshops for...

Farmers urged to think ‘SAFE’ as slurry spreading period approaches
Farmers urged to think ‘SAFE’ as slurry spreading period approaches

The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is urging the region’s farmers to take simple safety measures when...

Poots backs calls for meat plant workers to get vaccine priority
Poots backs calls for meat plant workers to get vaccine priority

Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has added his backing to calls for meat plant workers in the region to...

BVD inspections ‘step in the right direction’
BVD inspections ‘step in the right direction’

The Ulster Farmers’ Union has welcomed new inspections to crack down on BVD animal retention as a “step in the...

Man in 60s hospitalised in Co. Tyrone tractor crash
Man in 60s hospitalised in Co. Tyrone tractor crash

A man is his 60s has been left in a critical condition following a crash between a lorry and a...

NI to provide vaccination centre transport for isolated rural dwellers
NI to provide vaccination centre transport for isolated rural dwellers

Northern Ireland Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots have announced plans to help the region’s most...

McAleer: Farmers in the North could be left behind
McAleer: Farmers in the North could be left behind

Farmers and rural communities in the North could be left behind as the Republic moves ahead with implementing its €10.5...

Northern Ireland dairy industry achieves 34% reduction in carbon emissions
Northern Ireland dairy industry achieves 34% reduction in carbon emissions

Northern Ireland dairy has achieved a 34% reduction in carbon emissions since 1990, despite growing by two-thirds over the same...

Poots: Dublin government ‘needs to step up’ over port delays
Poots: Dublin government ‘needs to step up’ over port delays

Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has slammed the Irish Government, saying it needs to “step up” in addressing post-Brexit...

New rules to require British livestock to be retagged on entry to NI
New rules to require British livestock to be retagged on entry to NI

New rules will require livestock breeders to retag animals moved from Britain to Northern Ireland since January 1. The Department...