Im afraid they have to wait for 2012 then battery hens are to be banned thanks to compassion in world farming which has campaigned tirelessly to stop this cruel practice, nice to hear of some good news for the animals for a change.
This is, and has been for a number of years now, the case in the UK, but other countries in the EU are arguing to extend this deadline.
Also, for several years in th UK no new battery cages have been, or are allowed to be built, instead cages must be furnished and have a larger space allowance per bird than before. Not perfect but a step in the right direction.
Quite aggree with you there Alice, I buy free range eggs for my foxes and people always say buy them cheap ones but they're missing the point I would then be encouraging battery farming. I know they're more expensive but I would rather pay a bit more to stop the poor hens suffering. Please everyone think about it the next time you buy eggs !
The 2012 deadline has been known about for years in the farming community. I know of a millionnaire farmer who has installed a further 12 huge henhouses on his land since knowing about this deadline because he is aware of the huge compensation amounts and grants that are going to be paid out to farmers because of this deadline.
In so many cases the saying 'You will never see a farmer on a bike' is oh so true.