The way out: A report on ending chick killing in the European Union
Animal Society submits detailed report on chick killing to the European Commission
Published on December 16, 2022
Every year in the European Union (EU), around 330 million newly hatched male chicks are killed by the egg industry. An estimated further 40 million female ducklings are killed in the foie gras industry. This is common practice as these industries see no economic value in the chicks. Not only is the killing of the chicks itself ethically unacceptable, but the killing methods used also pose major animal welfare problems.
To address this issue and push for a ban at EU level, Animal Society, along with a coalition of 18 NGOs from across Europe launched by the French animal rights group L214, has written a detailed report to the European Commission. The Commission is in the process of carrying out an impact assessment on a possible ban on chick killing at EU level. The report thus contains relevant facts and data, experiences after one year of the ban in Germany and, above all, important animal welfare considerations, as well as tables with available alternatives.
A short summary
Male chicks from laying hen breeds do not lay eggs and do not produce enough meat to be of value to the meat industry. Female ducklings in foie gras production are similarly not given any value. They do not develop a fatty liver of the desired size and quality like their male counterparts due to force-feeding. Foie gras producers are therefore unable to generate a profit from them. For this reason, chicks in the egg and foie gras industry are systematically killed immediately after hatching.
This cruel practice is still common in most EU member states, although there are now alternatives. One alternative, known as In Ovo Sexing, uses technology that makes it possible to determine the sex of the unhatched chick while it is still an embryo inside the egg in order to eliminate the “unwanted” ones. Methods that are already in use work from the 9th day of incubation, which in turn raises concerns due to the embryo’s possible pre-existing sensitivity to pain.
The rearing of so-called brother chickens, i.e. male chicks of laying hen breeds for meat production, is another alternative. This alternative is currently being used in Germany, as In Ovo Sexing methods were not yet widely available at the time the chick killing ban was introduced. Brother rooster rearing is associated with major animal welfare concerns, is cost-intensive and even more harmful to the environment than broiler farming. In addition, there is currently no demand for rooster meat in Europe, which means that the meat is likely to be exported to African countries, putting additional pressure on a market already flooded with European poultry meat.
A third alternative is so-called dual-purpose chickens, which lay enough eggs and develop enough meat to be valuable for the egg and meat industry. This alternative can be seen as an improvement from an animal welfare point of view due to the improved health of the chickens. However, dual-purpose breeds are not competitive with laying hens and broiler breeds.
A fourth alternative, which differs from the others in that it moves away from animal farming in general, is plant-based egg alternatives and plant-based protein sources.
An EU-wide ban on chick culling has broad support not only among citizens, but also among EU member states, the egg industry and hatcheries who want a level playing field in the EU. Germany, France, Austria and Italy have already banned the systematic killing of chicks since 2022. In Germany, the ban has already been in effect for a year, which provides valuable reference data. There, the judges of the Federal Administrative Court ruled in 2019 that the killing of chicks is not compatible with the Animal Welfare Act. In a historic ruling, the court decided that economic reasons alone do not constitute a reasonable reason to kill an animal within the meaning of the Animal Welfare Act.
Even though the introduction of national bans is to be seen as positive, national bans only have a limited effect on ending chick killing in Europe, as it remains possible for producers to import eggs and pullets from hatcheries in other member states where chick killing is still permitted.
With the current revision of European animal welfare legislation, the European Commission wants to adapt animal welfare in Europe to the current state of scientific knowledge. In view of the alternative methods already available for killing chicks, there is no longer any justification for this unnecessary, unethical and cruel practice.