Ni-Cad batteries will soon be a thing of the past in Europe. On September 26th a new Europen Union directive comes into force preventing the importation of Ni-Cad and certain other batteries into Europe.
In April of 2004 the European parliament voted to ban Nickel-Cadmium batteries based on them being an ecological hazard. At that time the parliament also adopted restrictions on the use of lead in batteries. It says the lead content can be fully replaced by environmentally preferable Alkaline Manganese batteries.

And what about the impact of this ban on ham radio gear? According to information from Icom U-K, Ni-Cd batteries for their equipment will only be available until its stocks are exhausted. Icom says that alternative types of battery for current equipment have been available for some time, so there should be no problem in finding an substitute.