Ban Hatch & Dispatch

Our position 

In March 2025, the Vegetarian Society launched a campaign to move away from male chick culling and towards in-ovo sexing technology in the UK called ‘Ban Hatch & Dispatch’.

By working on this issue, we believe we can abolish one of the cruellest practices that currently exists in the UK egg industry within the coming years. This move would further UK animal protection law and save the lives of millions of chicks who would otherwise be culled shortly after birth.

Both political and public support for this call to action is strong. In July 2025, over 30 MPs, Peers and organisations, including the British Hen Welfare Trust and World Animal Protection, sent a letter to Daniel Zeichner (Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), calling for a ban on male chick culling as soon as possible. A recent survey showed that over three quarters (76%) of UK residents would pay an extra 1p per egg to support farms that do not cull male chicks.

We appreciate that some zoos and reptile carers feed their animals with day old chicks, but this shouldn’t prevent us trying to stop them from being hatched only to be killed. As more countries move towards an end to male chick culling, we’re confident that more ethical, sustainable alternatives will be developed or sourced to meet these needs. We are currently working to aid this process and support the government with research into alternatives.

Whilst there are so many areas where animals need our help, we believe this is a legislative change that can be made in the coming years that would progress UK animal protection law and save millions of lives annually.

Context 

Male chick culling (hatch and dispatch) is the practice of killing newly hatched male chicks in the egg industry because they do not lay eggs. Approximately 45 million male chicks are culled each year, primarily through gassing.

In July 2023, the Animal Welfare Committee (the Government’s official advisory body) released its ‘Opinion on chick culling alternatives’. Within these recommendations, the AWC recommends that the government ‘should make the routine culling of newly hatched chicks and turkey poults, due to their sex, illegal as soon as reliable, accurate methods for sexing eggs prior to hatch are available to be implemented in GB hatcheries.’

In-ovo sexing technology is now widely in use in several countries throughout the world. This technology determines the sex of the egg, and saves male chicks from being born, just to be culled shortly afterwards.

Countries such as France, Germany and Austria have banned male chick culling and switched to in-ovo technology alternatives, whilst other countries such as The Netherlands are currently phasing it out and switching to in-ovo sexing technology. Progress is also being made further afield, with the second company in the United States having recently made this switch.

Our demands 

We urge the government to take the following actions, following recommendations given by the Animal Welfare Committee:

• Implement a ban on male chick culling by amending The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations (2015)

• Mandate in-ovo sexing in UK hatcheries

• Support a smooth implementation of this switch with fair cost-sharing for equipment, training, and transition
• Fund research into ethical, sustainable alternatives to culled male chicks used as feed by zoos and reptile carers

How you can help 

Sign the petition to help end male chick culling in the UK and move towards in-ovo sexing technology alternatives

Write to your MP and ask them to support this issue

Increase your consumption of plant-rich foods to help reduce the overwhelming demand on animal agriculture