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.

Changes to be made to NI farming Covid-19 support payments
Changes to be made to NI farming Covid-19 support payments

Letters detailing offers of Covid-19 support money for Northern Ireland farmers are expected to arrive over the next few days....

How much would a TB breakdown cost your farm?
How much would a TB breakdown cost your farm?

A UK government report published this week has sought to put a value on how much a bovine TB breakdown...

‘Business case approved’ for new AFBI beef unit
‘Business case approved’ for new AFBI beef unit

A new beef unit for Northern Ireland’s Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) is now a step closer. The region’s...

75 workers test positive for Covid-19 at Banham Poultry
75 workers test positive for Covid-19 at Banham Poultry

A total of 75 workers at a poultry plant in Norfolk have now tested positive for Covid-19 as part of...

NI farmers urged to profit from improving animal health and welfare
NI farmers urged to profit from improving animal health and welfare

CAFRE researchers are exploring how farmers can take advantage of retailer focus on animal welfare within food production systems. Alan...

Meat plant outbreak blamed as NI infection rate surpasses UK and Ireland
Meat plant outbreak blamed as NI infection rate surpasses UK and Ireland

A cluster at a meat plant in Co. Antrim and an increase in testing have been blamed for making Northern...

Talks begin to mitigate impact of pig factory closure
Talks begin to mitigate impact of pig factory closure

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has warned “action needs to be taken” to prevent the closure of a pig processing...

Restructure at AFBI to see new research division created
Restructure at AFBI to see new research division created

Plans are afoot to make major changes to the internal structure of Northern Ireland’s Agri Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)....

Rural youth organisations to appoint new ‘Covid officers’ in every club
Rural youth organisations to appoint new ‘Covid officers’ in every club

There will be no passing a mandarin from mouth to mouth at new members’ nights this year as the island’s...

ADF Milking wins second Queen’s Award
ADF Milking wins second Queen’s Award

British dairy equipment firm ADF Milking has been recognised by the Queen for a second time – on this occasion...

Quad bike thieves foiled after stolen vehicle found in fog
Quad bike thieves foiled after stolen vehicle found in fog

A stolen quad bike will be returned to its rightful owner after police tracked it down before it could be...

‘Ground-breaking changes’ announced in the 2021 British Sugar contract
‘Ground-breaking changes’ announced in the 2021 British Sugar contract

New one-year and three-year sugar beet contracts from 2021 will include a “ground-breaking” new Virus Yellows assurance fund and an...

Farmers to take over town centre store in bid to reverse retail demise
Farmers to take over town centre store in bid to reverse retail demise

This Saturday (August 29), a group of farmers will take over a former BHS store in Banbury to open a...

Co. Antrim meat plant forced to close as ‘significant’ Covid-19 cluster forms
Co. Antrim meat plant forced to close as ‘significant’ Covid-19 cluster forms

A Co. Antrim pork processing plant has been forced to close amid report of a ‘cluster’ of Covid-19 cases. Northern...

AFBI withdraws beef units from specialist research licence
AFBI withdraws beef units from specialist research licence

Northern Ireland’s agricultural research institute has withdrawn its beef unit in Hillsborough, Co. Down from its licence for specialist animal research....

Cranswick sees lockdown sales soar 25%
Cranswick sees lockdown sales soar 25%

UK pork giant Cranswick has seen sales soar over the first quarter of the year due to an increase in...

Covid-19 mart rules: ‘The industry cannot afford to get this wrong’
Covid-19 mart rules: ‘The industry cannot afford to get this wrong’

NSA Scottish Region is calling on buyers, sellers and hauliers using livestock marts to ensure strict compliance to Covid-19 guidelines...

UK government sets out legally-binding targets to ‘build back greener’
UK government sets out legally-binding targets to ‘build back greener’

The UK government has set out how it will use ambitious, legally-binding targets under its landmark Environment Bill. The government...