Our Chief Executive Responds to the Ban Hatch and Dispatch Roundtable

Our Ban Hatch and Dispatch campaign to end male chick culling the UK egg industry took a vital important step last night with a roundtable discussion chaired by Irene Campbell MP, alongside Adrian Ramsay MP and Kerry McCarthy MP. Also present were representatives from the in-ovo technology industry, a Noracademics, veterinarians and NGOs, including the British Hen Welfare Trust.

From a UK industry perspective, the British Egg Industry Council and representatives from one of the key UK hatcheries originally accepted the invite then declined to attend with just 48 hours to go, citing they considered the roundtable would see them on trial – rather than engaged in constructive discussion. Which was a shame because had they been there – they’d have clearly observed and been part of the lively and wholly constructive discussion which explored both the opportunities and the challenges for implementation in the UK.

But what they also would have heard is MP demands for a deadline for implementation in the UK. There is much to learn from adoption in other countries and with a reasonable transition period, barriers can be overcome we can end the tragedy of 45 million male chicks being hatched every year simply to be killed within a day or two, simply because they don’t lay eggs.

If the industry won’t commit to a deadline and transition period, then the government must act. They have already tasked the UK industry with working toward implementation of in-ovo sexing technology within the newly published Animal Welfare Strategy. Putting the onus on industry to find solutions is perfectly reasonable but industry must then show they are serious in taking action. Numerous countries across Europe are taking action and already using egg sexing technology to detect sex before male chicks hatch. The eggs can then be repurposed for animal feed and other uses. The failure of the UK egg industry to engage in discussion and commit to a deadline remains an issue.

If they won’t commit to a deadline and reasonable transition period then we are clear. Government must legislate and require them to do so. Anything else risks the UK falling yet further behind the great work being done in other countries and our often-stated mantra as a ‘nation of animal lovers’ begins to feel ever more hollow.