The UK Government is considering outlawing the mass slaughter of new-born male chicks which are killed because they cannot lay eggs and are unwanted for meat.
France announced this week it would joining Germany in banning the slaughter of day-old male chicks in commercial hatcheries from 2022 by ensuring breeders use egg scanners.
Now the Department for the Environment is looking at egg scanning technology that can detect the sex of an unhatched chick and prevent new-borns from being killed.
“We are aware that alternatives to culling male chicks are being investigated by some countries and we will be assessing these as they are introduced,” said a Defra spokesperson.
However, the RSPCA pointed out that the dead chicks are used as a food source for birds of prey, exotic animals and other captive wild animals.
“Therefore, careful consideration needs to be given to ensure there aren’t any unintended consequences of using such technology, such as ensuring any shortfall is not replaced by importing chicks from other countries,” the RSPCA added.
LSL News.