Richard Halleron

News Correspondent

Richard Halleron is an agricultural chemist by background. He is a past chairman of the Northern Ireland Institute of Agricultural Science and has also served as Chairman of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists in Northern Ireland.

It’s official: Plants can tell the time

Arable

It’s official: Plants can tell the time

Research carried out at the UK’s John Innes Centre has confirmed that plants have a circadian clock, similar to that...

How might Covid-19 impact on dairy and red meat sectors?

Dairy

How might Covid-19 impact on dairy and red meat sectors?

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) dairy analyst Patty Clayton and her red meat colleague Duncan Wyatt have gone...

Support announced for farmers impacted by recent flooding

Agri-Business

Support announced for farmers impacted by recent flooding

DEFRA has announced new support measures to help farmers recover from recent flooding incidents. A £6 million pot of funding...

School closures raise farm safety concerns

Rural Life

School closures raise farm safety concerns

The Farm Safety Foundation is highlighting the link between the closure of schools and the need for a clear focus...

Scottish agriculture responds to the threat of Covid-19

Agri-Business

Scottish agriculture responds to the threat of Covid-19

NFU Scotland president, Andrew McCormick, has issued a statement confirming that Scottish agriculture will be to the fore in making...

Coronavirus adding uncertainty to UK beef market

Beef

Coronavirus adding uncertainty to UK beef market

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) market analyst Hannah Clarke is reporting that the coronavirus outbreak is adding uncertainty...

Quality Meat Scotland responds to coronavirus threat

Beef

Quality Meat Scotland responds to coronavirus threat

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) has outlined a planned approach to inspections of its six quality assurance schemes to limit the...

Black-grass is costing UK agriculture £1 billion per annum

Arable

Black-grass is costing UK agriculture £1 billion per annum

Research by Rothamsted has helped put an economic figure on herbicide resistance in black-grass, the farmland weed that is decimating...

BVA wants vets included in support plans for businesses affected by Covid-19

Agri-Business

BVA wants vets included in support plans for businesses affected by Covid-19

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has written to the Government, urging that veterinary practices be covered in the scope of...

Beef support is at the top of UFU agenda

Beef

Beef support is at the top of UFU agenda

Securing a sustainable support package for Northern Ireland’s beef sector remains a priority for the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), according...

International dairy product markets to come under pressure throughout 2020

N.Ireland

International dairy product markets to come under pressure throughout 2020

According to Rabobank, the upward trajectory in global dairy product prices, visible in the fourth quarter of 2019, has stalled...

International dairy product markets to come under pressure throughout 2020

Dairy

International dairy product markets to come under pressure throughout 2020

According to Rabobank, the upward trajectory in global dairy product prices, visible in the fourth quarter of 2019, has stalled...

Grass remains the priority feed for sheep

Sheep

Grass remains the priority feed for sheep

Grass can account for 95% of breeding ewes’ total dietary needs, according to AgriSearch’s Dr. Elizabeth Earle. “High-quality grass contains...

Soil compaction is a constant challenge on grassland farms

Grass

Soil compaction is a constant challenge on grassland farms

Even moderate levels of soil compaction can reduce grassland output levels by 20%, according to Alex Higgins, from the Agri-Food...

Grass and herb mixes hold particular promise for sheep farmers

Grass

Grass and herb mixes hold particular promise for sheep farmers

Ongoing research at University College Dublin (UCD) is pointing to the very real benefits of including a range of grasses,...

The threat of Brexit continues to hang over sheep sector in Northern Ireland

Sheep

The threat of Brexit continues to hang over sheep sector in Northern Ireland

Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) president Ivor Ferguson believes that Northern Ireland’s sheep sector is the one that will be most...

New body vies to tackle the challenges of rural health and care

Rural Life

New body vies to tackle the challenges of rural health and care

A new membership organisation, dedicated to rural health and care across England, has been launched. The new Rural Health &...

Prospects for UK mozzarella cheese production could be dampened

Dairy

Prospects for UK mozzarella cheese production could be dampened

According to AHDB Dairy, mozzarella cheese manufacturers could come under pressure in the event of a ‘No-Deal’ Brexit. In such...