Judge Mery Price of Ceredigion said she had no idea whose hens had laid the eggs she was judging but said that her decision would not have been influenced if she had.

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The bird scourge hasn't had an economic impact on the Ostend tourist trade yet, which welcomes around 3.4 million day-trippers each year, as well as 500, 000 overnight stays, said Pieter Hens, an official with the town's tourist bureau.

WSJ: Real-Life 'Birds' Remake in Belgium

Jane Howarth, from the British Hen Welfare Trust, said over December volunteers had re-housed 6, 000 battery hens, with just one more to be rehomed.

BBC: Devon charity rehouses last battery hen

Tesco said its breakthrough was a "triumph" for the supermarket's programme to vaccinate all laying hens against salmonella, with attention now turning to wiping out traces of the bug in chickens.

BBC: Supermarkets 'have egg bug beaten'