The European motion to end the practice of euthanising day old male chicks continues to gather momentum, as the Dutch and Germany markets pledge to end it from 2026.
In the Netherlands, the objective is outlined in a roadmap developed by the Dutch poultry sector in collaboration with the Animal Protection and the Ministry.
It claims the move will reduce the number of chicks slaughtered at day-old by between 6 and 7 million in 2026.
Writing to the Dutch Parliament, Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma stated: "I am proud that the sector has embraced the challenge to achieve this objective in collaboration with the animal protection societies and my Ministry.
"This underscores the Dutch agricultural sector's dedicated efforts towards animal welfare.
"I am confident that this objective will be met by 2026, allowing the Netherlands to produce table eggs without the need to cull day-old male chicks."
Ms Wiersma said that achieving this goal required an increase in demand eggs specified as being produced without chick-culling, as well as a willingness among consumers to bear the additional costs associated with them.
In Holland and Germany, it is typical to see the label ‘Ohne Kükentöten’ on egg boxes, depicting the higher welfare status of the contents.
In a bid to aid the price negotiations in business-to-business trading as well as communications with consumers, Wageningen University, based in the Netherlands, has calculated that egg prices would need to rise by around 1.15 euro cents.
Supported by the university, a database is being set up to provide up-to-date insights into the cost of delivering such change and facilitate monitoring progress towards achieving the objective.
In-ovo sexing is identified as a critical method to prevent the culling of male chicks, as fertile hatching eggs with identified male embryos are removed from the hatching process at day 12.
The age at which identification takes place is contentious, with concerns of the susceptibility of the developing chick to feel pain the later into the 21-day gestation period.
