A group of cross-party MPs, peers and animal welfare organisations have today written to government ministers urging them to ban the practice of male chick culling as soon as possible.
The letter has called on the UK government to mandate the use of in-ovo sexing technology, which would enable hatcheries to determine the sex of a chick before it is born.
It would eliminate the need for the culling of male chicks.
The technology is already in commercial use in countries including the US, Germany and France, with others like Italy and the Netherlands moving in the same direction.
Over 30 MPs, peers and organisations have signed the letter, including Yasmin Qureshi, MP, Bob Blackman, MP and chair of the 1922 Committee, and Daisy Cooper deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, alongside the Vegetarian Society, the British Hen Welfare Trust and World Animal Protection.
“I was proud to have raised this issue in Parliament during animal welfare debates recently,” said Irene Campbell, Labour MP for North Ayrshire and Arran. “It is important to raise awareness of this practice so that people know the details of how the eggs they eat are farmed, and the impact of this industry on male chicks.”
The letter follows statements previously made by Defra indicating the government is committed to upholding high animal welfare standards and is open to the egg industry exploring the use of sexing technology.
“Male chick culling is an outdated practice that is putting the UK on a back foot,” said Blackman, Conservative MP for Harrow East. “Several of our overseas neighbours have already banned or are phasing out chick culling and it’s time we do the same.
“Advancing animal welfare in this way will mean we do better for our environment and society as a whole.”
The government’s Animal Welfare Committee stated in 2023 that male chick culling should be made “illegal as soon as reliable, accurate methods for sexing eggs prior to hatch were available to be implemented in GB hatcheries” which now exist with in-ovo sexing technology.
Every year in the UK, 40 to 45 million male chicks are killed in their first days of life because they cannot lay eggs and are not deemed suitable for meat production.
Last month, Vegetarian Society research found that 76% of Brtis would be willing to pay an extra penny per egg to help put a stop to this practice, which is what the charity said it would cost.
“We have always said that hatch and dispatch is unnecessary – and it’s clear that parliamentarians and the wider industry agree with this,” said Richard McIlwain, CEO of the Vegetarian Society. “The technology needed to eliminate the mass culling of male chicks is already in use in Europe and the US, and it’s time we follow suit.
“The government has pledged to improve animal welfare – banning hatch and dispatch would be a crucial step towards meeting this goal.”
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