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.

Police boss beefs up pioneering rural crime taskforce
Police boss beefs up pioneering rural crime taskforce

Three extra police constables will be added to the North Wales Rural Crime Team, bringing its numbers up to 11...

1948 ‘grey Fergie’ and plough shine at Kverneland Agritechnica showcase
1948 ‘grey Fergie’ and plough shine at Kverneland Agritechnica showcase

2019 may have marked 140 years of tillage innovation for Kverneland (KV), but it was a simple, single-furrow horse-drawn plough...

Pilgrim’s Pride to take over Tulip in £290 million deal
Pilgrim’s Pride to take over Tulip in £290 million deal

US food firm Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation has announced it has signed a contract to acquire the UK’s largest pig producer...

Arla bosses ‘alert and prepared’ for ‘Brexit damage’
Arla bosses ‘alert and prepared’ for ‘Brexit damage’

Arla bosses have warned they remain cautious over the “potential adverse consequences” of Brexit in the firm’s half-year report. Over...

More than 700 sheep illegally butchered in England since February
More than 700 sheep illegally butchered in England since February

Gangs behind a spate of illegal field butchery incidents have killed and stolen the carcases of more than 700 sheep...

Hunt begins for 2019 Welsh dairy person of the year
Hunt begins for 2019 Welsh dairy person of the year

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is once again looking to recognise an individual who has made a great contribution towards...

11 more lambs illegally butchered in Daventry district
11 more lambs illegally butchered in Daventry district

Officers investigating a series of illegal sheep butcheries and thefts are appealing for information and witnesses after 11 more lambs...

NFUS calls for urgent beef sector intervention
NFUS calls for urgent beef sector intervention

NFU Scotland has called on the Scottish Government to recognise the crisis in the beef sector by immediately improving the...

CAFRE to host Environmental Farming Scheme farm walk
CAFRE to host Environmental Farming Scheme farm walk

The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise’s Enniskillen Campus will host two farm walks tomorrow (August 28) showcasing work...

AHDB launches 4 new strategic centres for field vegetable crops
AHDB launches 4 new strategic centres for field vegetable crops

Field vegetable producers are set to benefit from four new centres that will demonstrate the latest horticultural research in practice....

Wales appoints 2 new farm safety ambassadors
Wales appoints 2 new farm safety ambassadors

Two new farm safety ambassadors have been appointed to promote health and safety awareness on farms across Wales. Alun Elidyr...

TFA: Taxation system should not reward poor farm tenancy practice
TFA: Taxation system should not reward poor farm tenancy practice

The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, ahead of the Autumn Budget, with proposals...

NSA launches a UK-wide survey on sea eagle release
NSA launches a UK-wide survey on sea eagle release

The National Sheep Association (NSA) has opened a farmer-facing survey to gather views on the introduction of sea eagles in...

Cardigan mart closure ‘another blow’ for industry
Cardigan mart closure ‘another blow’ for industry

The announcement by J.J. Morris Auctioneers that Cardigan Animal Market will close next month, has been described as another blow...

Red meat exports up 13% in first half of 2019
Red meat exports up 13% in first half of 2019

Exports of red meat and offal from the UK have enjoyed a strong start to the year with shipments surpassing...

Businesses urged to buy British amid Dioxin egg recalls in Belgium
Businesses urged to buy British amid Dioxin egg recalls in Belgium

UK food businesses have been urged to put trust in British Lion assured eggs after several Belgian supermarkets were forced...

AHDB campaign makes strides in reversing falling dairy consumption
AHDB campaign makes strides in reversing falling dairy consumption

11% more young parents will buy dairy products according to research carried out after the second year of AHDB and...

New NI requirements for soil sampling to come into effect in January
New NI requirements for soil sampling to come into effect in January

All grassland farms using chemical phosphorus fertilisers or phosphorus-rich manures – such as poultry litter, pig farmyard manure and digestate – will...