Hens in England have been housed indoors since November to limit the spread of bird flu, which is devastating populations of wild birds and mammals as well as farmed animals. Customers used to free-range eggs might not like buying produce from chickens which cannot leave their cramped confines. But a closer inspection of this label – and how it came to dominate supermarket shelves – reveals an uncomfortable truth about the history of egg farming.

The rise of free-range farms, which produced 1% of all eggs sold across the UK in 1980 and 60% in 2021, was largely a reaction to public health scares about salmonella in barns during the late 80s, according to University of Liverpool historian Joel Mead. Despite animal welfare having a marginal role in this transformation, customers are likely to consider free-range the ethical choice. But, as Mead explains, the reality for free-range chickens is often far from the advertised scenes of a life roaming happily in open fields.

The recent collapse of US-based Silicon Valley Bank took many by surprise. We hear from an economics and history expert about the causes and what’s likely to happen next. And a Roman vase found in Colchester which appeared to depict gladiator fights was recently used as evidence that Britain hosted the brutal games. Turns out it’s not the only evidence.

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