By Jenny Canham, Public Affairs Lead at the Vegetarian Society
In July 2025, I wrote ‘The Case for a UK Ban on Male Chick Culling’1, where I outlined how the practice remains legal under current UK animal protection law, the adoption of in-ovo sexing technology in other countries, and the growing parliamentary and public support for the UK to follow suit. Since then, I’m pleased to say that landmark progress has been made, bringing us closer to the long-awaited end of male chick culling in the UK.
What is male chick culling?
Male chick culling is a routine practice in the UK egg industry, with around 45 million male chicks killed every year within just hours of being born2. Because they cannot lay eggs, they are considered surplus to industry requirements and are typically killed on their first day of life – a practice widely criticised as cruel and wasteful, particularly given that viable technological alternatives are already in use in other countries.
Despite this, UK law continues to permit the practice. Under Section 44, Schedule 2 of The Welfare at Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015, surplus chicks under 72 hours old may legally be killed by maceration, exposure to a gas mixture, or – where no other method is available; cervical dislocation, with the stipulation that death must occur as rapidly as possible. In practice, most male chicks are killed using inert gases such as argon, although maceration, often described as the grinding or shredding of live chicks, remains lawful and is not explicitly prohibited.
In April 2025, the Vegetarian Society launched the campaign Ban Hatch & Dispatch3, calling on the Government to ban the practice of male chick culling in the UK as soon as possible.
Inclusion in the Animal Welfare Strategy
In December 2025, there was a significant milestone in progress towards ending male chick culling in the UK, with its inclusion in the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy (4), a Strategy which aims to deliver the biggest animal welfare reforms in a generation.
Here, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) recognised that vast numbers of male chicks are currently being killed while alternatives are available, and referred to the previous recommendations of the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) to end the practice as soon as possible, by switching to in-ovo sexing technology.
It said: ‘We would like to see an end to the practice of killing day-old chicks.’ and as an action, committed to ‘encourage industry to end the practice of culling male laying hen chicks’4.
This, the first time male chick culling has been included in any type of Government strategy, was celebrated as a landmark milestone towards change, and progress has continued since.
Latest progress
In February 2026, MPs, academics, industry representatives and NGOs convened at a parliamentary roundtable to discuss the next steps towards ending male chick culling. The event was also joined by representatives from Norway – the latest country to announce a transition to in-ovo sexing technology.
As a result, a roadmap of next steps was produced and shared with the Government5, supported by 19 politicians and much-loved animal advocate and actress Dame Joanna Lumley6. This roadmap lays out actions the Government must now take in order to continue its momentum and end male chick culling.
Following the release of this roadmap, a new report, ‘Sustainably feeding captive raptors and reptiles: Are there alternatives to culled male chicks?’7, was released which, for the first time, identifies practical alternatives to the use of culled male chicks as feed for captive raptors and reptiles, removing a key barrier to ending the practice in the UK.
The research highlights multiple viable pathways forward, including the use of whole-as-possible animal by-products from slaughterhouses, alongside longer-term innovations such as cultivated whole-prey systems. These findings challenge the assumption that male chick culling must continue to supply feed for captive carnivores, demonstrating that practical, scalable alternatives already exist.
What’s next?
The Vegetarian Society is continuing its work to end male chick culling and pushing to achieve this as soon as possible through its Ban Hatch & Dispatch campaign. It is using the latest progress to help push both Government and industry to move forward with the next steps by launching a consultation and committing to a timeline to end male chick culling in the UK.
With strong public support, the Vegetarian Society is calling on industry to step up and is currently urging retailers to take action, following polling results that 76% of the public are willing to pay more from eggs that do not come from male chick culling8.
How you can help end male chick culling
Below are important actions you can take to join the call to end male chick culling in the UK.
3. Help raise awareness by educating your family and friends about male chick culling and how they can join the movement to end it
About the author:
Jenny is an award-winning policy and advocacy professional and journalist specialising in animal protection, sustainability and food systems.
She has worked in animal protection for more than a decade, leading campaigns that have improved the lives of millions of animals. Her writing has been published in a range of media outlets, including The Independent, and her work has been covered by national and international media, including The Times, The Guardian and BBC News. In 2026, she won the Policy and Advocacy Award at the Women in Food and Drink Awards.
Jenny currently leads public affairs at the Vegetarian Society, where she focuses on animal protection campaigns and food policy.
References
- Canham J, The Case for a UK Ban on Male Chick Culling’(UK Centre for Animal Law, 22 July 2025) https://www.alaw.org.uk/blog/2025/07/22/the-case-for-a-uk-ban-on-male-chick-culling/ accessed 19 May 2026. ↩︎
- Animal Welfare Committee, Opinion on Chick Culling Alternatives (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, 2024) <https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65eae6e062ff48ff7487b270/AWC_Opinion_on_chick_culling_alternatives.pdf> accessed 18 May 2026. ↩︎
- The Vegetarian Society, Hatch and Dispatch <https://hatchanddispatch.vegsoc.org/> accessed 18 May 2026. ↩︎
- Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Animal Welfare Strategy for England <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-welfare-strategy-for-england/animal-welfare-strategy-for-england> accessed 18 May 2026. ↩︎
- The Vegetarian Society, Ban Hatch & Dispatch Roadmap <https://vegsoc.org/news/ban-hatch-dispatch-roadmap/> accessed 18 May 2026. ↩︎
- Joanna Lumley backs plan to end chick culling roadmap (Mirror, 2026) <https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/joanna-lumley-backs-plan-end-37101812> accessed 18 May 2026. ↩︎
- Mace J L, Sustainably Feeding Captive Raptors and Reptiles: Are There Alternatives to Culled Male Chicks? (2025) https://www.maceanimalwelfare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Alternatives-to-current-raptor-reptile-feed-combined.pdf accessed 20 May 2026. ↩︎
- https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/25225175.vegetarian-society-calls-end-male-chick-culling/ ↩︎