United Egg Producers Pledge to End Chick Culling by 2020
Remember when we hoped that more countries would follow in the footsteps of Germany after they pledged to ban chick shredding by 2017? Well, it seems the United States is next in line as United Egg Producers have just announced they plan to ban the practice by 2020.
The news was made public after The Humane League published a press release on Thursday stating that the United Egg Producers, who represent 95 percent of all eggs produced in the United States, announced that they would end the practice of chick shredding by 2020 or even sooner if it was “economically feasible”. The decision was made after conversations with The Humane League, with the practice to be replaced by in-ovo sexing technology. Chad Gregory, President and CEO of United Egg Producers, stated:
“United Egg Producers is proud to have worked with The Humane League on this commitment to support the elimination of day old male chick culling after hatch for the laying industry. We are aware that there are a number of international research initiatives underway in this area, and we encourage the development of an alternative with the goal of eliminating the culling of day old male chicks by 2020 or as soon as it is commercially available and economically feasible.”
In-ovo sexing technology allows for the gender of the chick inside the fertilized egg to be identified, and terminated if it is male in order to prevent the chicks from being hatched, which would also prevent them from being shredded alive or suffocated, as they hold no value in the egg industry.
As United Egg Producers represent 95 percent of all eggs in the United States, David Coman-Hidy, Executive Director of The Humane League, called it a “historic” move, as it would “virtually eliminate this practice in the American egg industry.”
While the fate of not being born is far better than what male chicks would face if they were, let’s hope that historic moves will soon follow for female chicks as well.
Photo Credit: https://lanternhollowpress.com
