Last month France and Germany announced that they will be the first countries in the world to end the practice of chicken culling.  The mass culling of male chicks by gassing or crushing is a global industrial farming practice and occurs commonly in commercial hatcheries.  Because male chicks cannot lay eggs, they are considered redundant by poultry producers.  Hens grow faster and are preferred for chicken meat, and it is uneconomical to fatten male chicks.  New machines may determine the gender of an egg before it hatches.  The ban on culling is expected to take effect in January 2022 and is gaining support in other EU countries including Ireland and Portugal.  Animal welfare improvements are part of the new European food strategy.

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Posted on 7 September 2021