麻豆约拍

Free range egg producers have been up in arms this week over claims that their hens have higher rates of disease and injury and die earlier than birds kept in cages. Charlotte Smith discusses the pros and cons of both systems with two leading producers. Roger Gent's free-range hens produce around 18,000 eggs a day. Elwyn Griffiths' hens live in cages known as 'enriched colony', which are larger than old-style battery cages; his hens produce 2.5 million eggs a day.

Measures to control the spread of Bovine TB don't just affect farmers in the hotspots and edge areas. They're also having an indirect impact on some events that are the backbone of the farming calendar. The Westmorland County Show has taken place every September since 1899. But this year, for the first time, all exhibiting cattle had to have a pre-movement TB test. Around 420 cattle took to the show-rings just outside Kendal on Thursday but that's down by around 100 on last year. And there are fears that some small agricultural shows won't survive if pre-movement testing becomes the norm.

And meet the Valais Blacknose - a fluffy breed of Swiss sheep that's melted the heart of a successful cattle breeder in Scotland. So much so, he bought a flock just because they're cute.

Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Anna Jones.