大象传媒

Greece and Italy are being taken to court for failing to enforce the ban on battery cages for laying hens. The European Commission has referred the case to the European Court of Justice . The ban on battery cages came into effect at the beginning of last year, but despite having 12 years to comply with it, 13 countries missed the deadline. British farmers, who say they spent millions on changing their systems to meet the ban were furious and warned of 'illegally' produced eggs undercutting the market. Now it's only Greece and Italy which are yet to comply. Also on Farming Today, The RSPB has rejected suggestions from DEFRA's Chief Scientist that they could work together to monitor the impact of the badger cull on songbird populations. Speaking in a personal capacity, Professor Ian Boyd said there was a theory that removing badgers which eat songbird eggs would preserve bird populations, and the culls offered a chance to study this. Two trial badger culls are due to start later this year in Gloucestershire and Somerset as part of The Government's efforts to reduce TB in cattle. Presented by Charlotte Smith. Produced by Anna Varle.