Reaction to the King’s Speech

We urge the Government to honour its commitments and move forward without delay in the following areas: 

End male chick culling 

Around 45 million chicks are killed within hours of hatching in the UK every year simply because they are male. The UK is falling behind internationally, with countries including France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and, most recently, Norway either having already banned the practice or actively transitioning away from it through the adoption of in-ovo sexing technology – technology which enables the sex of the egg to be determined before hatching, sparing chicks from being born only to be killed shortly after. 

In the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025, ministers stated their ambition to end the culling of male chicks and called on industry to move forward. In the absence of any action from the egg industry, it is now critical that the Government takes a leading role in finally abolishing this cruel and unnecessary practice by announcing a clear transition period and timeline. 

We cannot claim to be a nation of animal lovers while this practice continues. The Government must now announce a firm date for an end to male chick culling as soon as possible. 

Abolish some of the cruellest practices inflicted on lambs 

The Government also committed to working with the sheep sector to implement the recommendations set out in the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs (2024), alongside updates to the Sheep Welfare Code. 

The Animal Welfare Committee was clear about the pain and suffering caused by these procedures and recommended that they should no longer be carried out routinely. 

Having released a public consultation on this topic earlier this year, the Vegetarian Society is calling on the Government to act on these recommendations as soon as possible by: 

• Prohibiting the routine tail docking and castration of lambs, including the use of rubber rings, clamps, clips, combined methods and hot irons;  

• Allowing only narrow veterinary exemptions where procedures are clinically necessary for the treatment of an individual animal, with mandatory and effective pain relief;  

• Introducing robust oversight and enforcement measures, including regular inspections and mandatory reporting, with clear veterinary justification required in every case; and  

• Supporting a transition away from farming systems that rely on painful mutilations as standard practice, while incentivising greater diversification in farming -particularly across the UK’s arable and horticultural sectors – to strengthen food security and support healthier, fibre-rich diets, helping to meet the goals set out in the Government’s new Land Use Framework 

A renewed focus on food policy 

We have been awaiting the Government’s long-promised food strategy for some time, and it is vital that it is delivered without further delay. 

The UK needs a food strategy that makes healthy, sustainable, and plant-rich food more accessible and affordable for everyone. That is why we are calling for a Good Food Bill. 

A Good Food Bill would provide the statutory framework needed to reshape the UK food system and give long-term certainty to consumers, farmers, growers, businesses and investors. It would also help ensure that plant-based foods become more widely accessible across the country. 

This is more vital than ever for our collective health and wellbeing, as well as for animals and our planet. 

We hope the Government will act with urgency on these issues and help move the UK towards a kinder and more sustainable future.