Every year, hundreds of millions of male day-old layer chicks are killed after hatching in European Union. Male layer chicks are commercially useless for the eggs industry because they are not suitable for meat production and only females can lay. This unethical practice will be forbidden in France and Germany from 2022, both being the first countries in the world to ban it. 

To avoid male day-old chicks culling, hatcheries need to be equipped with machines to determine the gender of birds in the eggs (by detecting feathers' colour for example), males eggs being destroyed before further development and hatching.

France and Germany have also brought this issue to the European Commission. Some Member States (Austria, Luxembourg, Portugal and Ireland) have already shown their support.

More information:

• German Agriculture Minister Website
• France Agriculture Minister Website (in french)