There are over twenty million battery hens in the UK and by 2012 battery cages are due to be banned. And in a recent TV series Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and chef Jamie Oliver, challenged consumers to think of how the eggs and meat they're eating is produced. The Welsh coordinator of the Battery Hen Welfare Trust has since been inundated with enquiries. Up to half a dozen people a day are now calling Lucy Medhill asking how they can get involved and she now has a waiting list of people wanting birds

THE ancient art of beekeeping is undergoing a revival in Wales. A distinct lack of sunshine last summer meant less, local honey was available and demand outstripped supply. That in turn pushed prices up for Welsh honey. And now it seems there's a surge of interest from people in taking up the pastime and producing their own honey. The Conwy Beekeepers' Association has been running courses in Bangor and noticed a significant increase in people learning about beekeeping.