by Jenny Canham
Routine male chick culling in the UK
Male chick culling is a routine practice in the UK egg industry. Every year, around 45 million male chicks are killed within just hours of being born. Because they are not female, and therefore cannot lay eggs, they are deemed as useless or surplus to the industry and are killed during their first day of life. This practice is seen by many as extremely cruel and wasteful, especially because technological alternatives are now available and widely in use throughout the rest of the world.
UK law allowing male chick culling
UK animal protection law currently allows the practice of male chick culling to continue. Section 44, Schedule 2 of The Welfare at Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 states that the only methods allowed to kill surplus chicks who are less than 72 hours old are through:
‘(a)maceration in accordance with Table 1 of Chapter I and Chapter II of Annex I;
(b)exposure to a gas mixture in accordance with Table 3 of Chapter I and Chapter II of Annex I and this paragraph; or
(c)where there is no other method available for killing, cervical dislocation in accordance with Table 1 of Chapter I and Chapter II of Annex I.’
This regulation also states that the killing of male chicks less than 72 hours old in hatchery waste ‘must be as rapid as possible.’
In the egg industry today, the majority of male chicks are killed using an inert gas (such as argon), but maceration (also known as the ‘grinding’ or ‘shredding’ of live chicks) is not legally prohibited.[1]
Bans in other countries
Male chick culling has been banned in several countries in Europe, with strides towards in-ovo sexing technology also taking place further afield.
Routine male chick culling has been banned in France, Germany, and Austria since 2022. Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands are also currently phasing it out and are firmly on track to ban it in the coming years.
In France, male chick culling is banned though an executive decree published on February 6, 2022, in the Journal Officiel. Article R214-17 – Code rural et de la pêche maritime – Légifrance officially outlaws the culling of male chicks in hatcheries, requiring operators to adopt in‑ovo sexing technology. However, the legislation does not apply to chicks used:
1° For scientific purposes, in particular for the pharmaceutical industry, or for veterinary diagnosis;
2° In the context of experiments mentioned in 1° of article R. 214-63;
3° For animal feed. An order from the Minister responsible for agriculture may specify the killing methods authorized in this context and the strains concerned.
Worldwide use of ‘in ovo sexing’
Countries where male chick culling is banned have mandated using ‘in-ovo sexing’ technology, which saves the animals from being born, merely to be killed shortly after.
‘Respeggt’ is one of the companies who provide this technology in the countries where male chick culling is banned, and also further afield. The company ‘Kipster’ recently announced it has introduced in-ovo sexing technology by Respeggt to reduce the number of male chicks who are culled.
This is the second company in the U.S. to switch to this alternative and further shows that there is currently a global shift towards the end of routine male chick culling taking place.
Animal Welfare Committee recommendations
In July 2023, the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC), the official advisory body of the UK Government, released it’s ‘Opinion on alternatives to culling newly hatched chicks in the egg and poultry industries’[2].
The recommendations state, ‘Government should make the routine culling of newly hatched chicks and turkey poults, due to their sex, illegal as soon as reliable, accurate methods for sexing eggs prior to hatch are available to be implemented in GB hatcheries.’ and ‘When this happens, the import of eggs and of female chicks and poults from production systems in which there is routine culling should be made illegal.’ (1)
In the two years since this opinion was published, the in-ovo industry has continued to evolve, as demonstrated by its use in more countries. In-ovo sexing technology can now consistently achieve at least 98% reliability.
Therefore, according to the AWC, the next logical step is a UK-wide ban on male chick culling.
Parliamentary and public support for a ban
This year, The Vegetarian Society launched a campaign called ‘Ban Hatch & Dispatch’,(https://hatchanddispatch.vegsoc.org/) calling on the Government to ban the practice of male chick culling in the UK as soon as possible. Parliamentary support for the campaign has been strong.
Over 30 MPs, Peers and organisations recently sent an open letter to the Government calling for a ban on male chick culling to be implemented, and MPs have continued raising the topic in parliament.
In a recent response to a question put forward by Irene Campbell, Labour MP, Daniel Zeichner, Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs, said, “We very much welcome the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology. This is one of the areas on which we can move forward.”
Given that the Animal Welfare Committee has recommended a ban on chick culling as soon as reliable and accurate technology is available, and such technology is not only available but widely in use, globally, it seems to be the ideal time to ban male chick culling in the UK. Without doing so, the UK will potentially risk its reputation as a global leader in animal welfare.
Whilst this move will inevitably change how the egg industry operates and result in extra cost, this can be shared throughout the supply chain. The public are in support of it, with a recent survey showing that 76% of UK residents would pay an extra 1p per egg to support farms that do not cull male chicks.
How you can support the end to male chick culling in the UK
To support a UK ban on male chick culling, you can sign the petition.
You can also write to your MP to encourage them to speak up about this topic in parliament, asking for it to be included in the government’s upcoming Animal Welfare Strategy as a priority to be implemented this year and attending upcoming parliamentary events on the topic throughout the rest of the year.
About the author Jenny Canham
Jenny has worked in animal protection, globally, for over a decade, and for the past five years has focused her work on animal law and policy.
She is an avid writer and her work has been published in various publications including The Independent, and has been quoted in global mainstream media including BBC News and The Daily Mirror.
Jenny has presented in key settings across the globe including UK Parliament, US City Council and the first ever LA Climate Week, raising awareness of animal protection and environmental issues, and empowering people to take action.
She was a runner-up in the 2023 Sheila McKechnie Foundation’s ‘National Campaigner of the Year Awards’ for her work securing stronger legal protections for fish and is now continues to use the law to protect other animals as part of The Vegetarian Society’s public affairs efforts.
[1] https://www.rspcaassured.org.uk/farmed-animal-welfare/egg-laying-hens/what-is-chick-maceration/
[2]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65eae6e062ff48ff7487b270/AWC_Opinion_on_chick_culling_alternatives.pdf