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.

Clarkson’s Farm set to return for second series
Clarkson’s Farm set to return for second series

Those disappointed thinking they had seen the last from Diddly Squat Farm will welcome news that a second series of...

DAERA announces date Covid-19 TB testing mitigations will end
DAERA announces date Covid-19 TB testing mitigations will end

Mitigations made to bovine TB testing in Northern Ireland to minimise disruption as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic are...

£12 million earmarked for FBIS Tier 2 tranche 2
£12 million earmarked for FBIS Tier 2 tranche 2

A total of £12 million has been earmarked for the second tranche of Tier 2 the Farm Business Improvement Scheme...

FBIS Tier 2 to change to 2-step process for tranche 2
FBIS Tier 2 to change to 2-step process for tranche 2

The application process for Northern Ireland's Tier 2 grant has been changed to a two-part process after planning issues hampered...

Badger cull identified as DAERA’s preferred option for bTB wildlife intervention
Badger cull identified as DAERA’s preferred option for bTB wildlife intervention

A badger cull in the areas worst affected by bovine TB has been identified as the department's preferred option for...

NI farm medicines project secures £30,000 from venture capital fund
NI farm medicines project secures £30,000 from venture capital fund

Northern Ireland scientists have secured £30,000 in venture capital funding to develop a system simplifying the process of recording farm...

Supermarket bosses call for action to avoid NI supply disruption
Supermarket bosses call for action to avoid NI supply disruption

Supermarket bosses representing over 75% of the Northern Irish grocery market, have called for urgent action to avoid GB-NI supply...

NI’s new bovine TB strategy: What does it mean for farmers and what are the next steps?
NI’s new bovine TB strategy: What does it mean for farmers and what are the next steps?

Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture has announced plans to introduce a swathe of ramped up biosecurity measures as part of...

Moy Park launches 2 new training academies for staff
Moy Park launches 2 new training academies for staff

Northern Ireland headquartered poultry giant Moy Park has launched two new learning and development programmes for its staff. Following the...

Details of Northern Ireland’s new bovine TB strategy revealed
Details of Northern Ireland’s new bovine TB strategy revealed

Proposals for a long-term bovine TB (bTB) Eradication Strategy for Northern Ireland (NI) have finally been revealed. Minister for Agriculture,...

Performance recording linked with lower emission flocks
Performance recording linked with lower emission flocks

Performance recording is an opportunity Northern Ireland's sheep sector can no longer afford to ignore, according to industry advisors. A...

DUP leader announces 7 ‘tests’ for UK’s NI Protocol plans
DUP leader announces 7 ‘tests’ for UK’s NI Protocol plans

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has set out seven 'tests' he says any new NI Protocol arrangements made by the...

DAERA seeks ideas on how to eliminate plastic litter in NI
DAERA seeks ideas on how to eliminate plastic litter in NI

Extended corporate responsibility, a deposit return scheme, and laws banning the sale of some single-use plastic items are all options...

Young farmers plan 24-hour plough in 60-year-old tractor
Young farmers plan 24-hour plough in 60-year-old tractor

It might be a bit rusty around the edges and pack a tiny 25hp, but young farmers in the Northern...

US study finds meat alternatives are ‘not nutritionally interchangeable’
US study finds meat alternatives are ‘not nutritionally interchangeable’

A comparison of grass-fed meat and plant-based meat alternatives has found significant nutritional differences despite comparable Nutrition Facts panels. The...

CAFRE to host potato haulm flailing workshop
CAFRE to host potato haulm flailing workshop

A field day run by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) will help potato growers with alternatives...

Effects of Covid-19 restrictions on Northern Ireland air quality revealed
Effects of Covid-19 restrictions on Northern Ireland air quality revealed

We might have expected fewer flights and less road traffic to have improved air quality in Northern Ireland during lockdown....

What’s planned for 2021 Virtual Farm Weekend?
What’s planned for 2021 Virtual Farm Weekend?

The countdown is on for this year’s Bank of Ireland Virtual Farm Weekend in Northern Ireland. The event will take...