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.

Difficult year sees major shifts in Scottish farming
Difficult year sees major shifts in Scottish farming

Poor weather affected the output of Scottish agriculture over the past year. According to the latest official data, sheep and...

Brexit ‘perfect time’ for Government to address long-standing farm tenancy issues
Brexit ‘perfect time’ for Government to address long-standing farm tenancy issues

The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) is calling for the Government to use Brexit as the “perfect time” to bring forward...

British organic sector calls for clearer Brexit contingency measures
British organic sector calls for clearer Brexit contingency measures

The Organic Trade Board (OTB) and the United Kingdom Organic Certifiers Group (UKOCG) are calling for a clear contingency plan...

£3.6 million TB Excellence Centre to open in Wales
£3.6 million TB Excellence Centre to open in Wales

A new £3.6 million Centre of Excellence for Bovine Tuberculosis for Wales will open at Aberystwyth University later this year,...

Could working on your soil health reduce your fertiliser wastage?
Could working on your soil health reduce your fertiliser wastage?

With 40% of fertiliser lost to leaching and volatilisation, growers are being urged to improve soil health to increase nutrient...

Young Farmers launch week-long celebration of all things YFC
Young Farmers launch week-long celebration of all things YFC

The National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) has today started its week-long celebration of all things Young Farmers. The...

Welsh farmers to be paid £1,000 to complete benchmarking
Welsh farmers to be paid £1,000 to complete benchmarking

A new £2.15 million benchmarking initiative to help beef and sheep farmers identify improvements to their businesses and prepare for...

Why ‘Antibiotic-free’ labelling may actually be harming the industry
Why ‘Antibiotic-free’ labelling may actually be harming the industry

Labelling products as “Antibiotic-free” has the potential to mislead the consumer by implying that meat or milk not marketed as...

Welsh decarbonisation proposals criticised over lack of focus on impacts
Welsh decarbonisation proposals criticised over lack of focus on impacts

National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Cymru has warned that the Welsh Government’s greenhouse gas emissions consultation is likely to have been...

Auction report: Combines and tractors in the mix at dispersal sale
Auction report: Combines and tractors in the mix at dispersal sale

An on-site auction was held at Bulldog Bridge Farm, Littleport, Cambridgeshire, on September 27. The sale was notable for an...

Ag students’ vineyard celebrates record harvest
Ag students’ vineyard celebrates record harvest

The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) vineyard at Down Ampney has seen a record year with the largest amount of grapes...

European dairy markets cool as drought fears dissipate
European dairy markets cool as drought fears dissipate

European dairy prices are coming under pressure just as UK farmers are entering the expensive winter housed period. Intervention stock...

Meet one of Austria’s beauty queens using tradition to promote farming
Meet one of Austria’s beauty queens using tradition to promote farming

Beauty queens, wellies and dairy cows – not three words you’d expect in one sentence, but get out of Vienna...

Pics: Bale Art competition finalists revealed
Pics: Bale Art competition finalists revealed

You might think you’re seeing things if you came across a dozen 6ft sheep…but not in rural Scotland, where, if there’s...

How a farmer ended up with a shop in Vienna’s luxury shopping district
How a farmer ended up with a shop in Vienna’s luxury shopping district

People told Georg Blochberger his idea to turn summer milk from his 50 cows into ice cream would never work....

Agricultural research projects awarded £750,000 funding
Agricultural research projects awarded £750,000 funding

Pioneering agricultural research into genetic resistance to TB and an electronic bovine disease diagnosis platform are among three projects in...

Agricultural research projects awarded £750,000 funding
Agricultural research projects awarded £750,000 funding

Pioneering agricultural research into genetic resistance to TB and an electronic bovine disease diagnosis platform are among three projects in...

NBA calls for ‘bottom-up’ approach to beef assurance schemes
NBA calls for ‘bottom-up’ approach to beef assurance schemes

The National Beef Association (NBA) Midlands Committee has set the date for a meeting in which it will bring together...