RSPCA finally takes on the battery chicken issue

I am pleased to see that the RSPCA is running a high-profile campaign on the welfare of battery chickens.

In recent years, judging by their presence at Lib Dem Conferences, they have not emphasised farming issues. Instead they have talked about hunting, which raises great passions, but is a tiny matter beside factory farming.

After that it was the welfare of domestic pets. Again, being worried about goldfish being given as fairground prizes seems pretty petty when set against the suffering of many industrially farmed animals. That didn't stop the Liberal Democrats adopting their proposals en bloc, mind you.

So well done to the RSPCA for finally taking on the most important animal welfare issue we face. Duncan Borrowman has more on this.