Are we seeing the end of male chick culling in the UK?

Technology can now tell the sex of chicks in eggs – a practice known as in-ovo sexing

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The culling of male chicks when hatching laying hens, may soon be a thing of the past thanks to growing technology which allows the sex of chicks to be identified at egg stage. In-ovo sexing is being increasingly used across Europe after animal rights groups put the egg laying industry under pressure to improve its welfare standards, and the US is now following suit with two hatcheries adopting the practice this year.

CALLING FOR AN END TO MALE CHICK CULLING IN THE UK

The British Hen Welfare Trust recently added its weight to an open letter put together by The Vegetarian Society to the Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner MP, expressing concerns over the continued practice of male chick culling. As it stands, male chick culling is still routinely carried out in the UK despite the public overwhelmingly asking for change. In a survey carried out by food tech firm In Ovo, more than two thirds of Brits said they would be prepared to pay more to know they were eating cull-free eggs. The Government's own Animal Welfare Committee has stated that male chick culling should be made "illegal as soon as reliable, accurate methods for sexing eggs prior to hatch are available to be implemented in GB hatcheries". The letter calls for a ban, along with a clear roadmap and appropriate government support to achieve this, demonstrating that the UK continues to take animal welfare seriously. It has been signed by several other animal welfare organisations and the BHWT will continue to update its supporters in due course.

WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF EUROPE?