Dame Joanna Lumley Urges Prime Minister Andy Burnham to End Male Chick Culling

Calling on Prime Minister Burnham in a recent Sunday Express feature, Dame Joanna highlighted the scale of the issue. Over 45 million male chicks are killed in the UK every year because they cannot lay eggs and aren’t viable for meat production. This practice of “hatch and dispatch” is coming under increasing scrutiny as other nations adopt technologies that can determine a chick’s sex before hatching.

Dame Joanna’s plea adds further momentum to calls for the UK to follow the lead of hatcheries in countries across the EU, the US, Australia and China which have already introduced in-ovo sexing technology, allowing male embryos to be identified early in incubation, and before they hatch.

“I urge Andy Burnham to show true leadership on animal welfare and help bring an end to the cruel and completely unnecessary practice of killing millions of male chicks every year. 

Around the world, countries are switching to in-ovo sexing technology, a far more ethical and efficient alternative. The UK is lagging behind, and millions more baby chicks are paying the price for this delay. 

I call on the Prime Minister to commit to a clear timeline for ending this barbaric practice once and for all.” 

Dame Joanna Lumley 

The Vegetarian Society’s Ban Hatch & Dispatch campaign is calling on government and industry leaders to end the unnecessary killing of male chicks and accelerate the adoption of in-ovo sexing technology. Support from high-profile campaigners such as Dame Joanna helps raise further awareness of this issue. Many consumers remain unaware that chicks are killed to provide the eggs they buy, yet when they are made aware, a whopping 76% support a ban.

Therefore, we are calling on both the government and the UK egg industry to commit to a ban, and move rapidly to adopt in-ovo sexing technology.

What Can You Do? 

Write to your MP today via our simple online tool. Urge them to call on the government to announce a commitment to end male chick culling and switch to in-ovo sexing technology, an efficient and ethical alternative.   

Sign the petition to end male chick culling.

End the culling of 45 million male chicks. Read about our Ban Hatch & Dispatch campaign, explore key milestones, and get answers in our frequently asked questions.