Review spotlights welfare and policy pressures on excess cockerels
Bottom line
A new review in Animals examines one of poultry production’s most persistent welfare dilemmas: the routine culling of day-old male layer chicks, often called excess cockerels. The paper, by Hanna Spasowska-Czarny, Umair Ahsan, and Justyna Batkowska, argues that the issue sits at the intersection of animal welfare, law, and bioeconomics, and assesses the main alternatives now in play, including in ovo sexing, dual-purpose breeds, and rearing male chicks for niche markets. Its timing matters because the regulatory landscape is already shifting: Germany banned chick culling starting January 1, 2022, France enforced a ban from January 1, 2023, and the UK government said in March 2026 that it wants to work with industry toward ending the practice. (bmel.de)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the review is a reminder that this is no longer just an ethics debate. It’s becoming a practical animal welfare, hatchery management, and policy question, with implications for embryo welfare, post-hatch handling, breeding strategy, and the economics of egg production. UK government advisers have said in ovo sexing can reduce the welfare harms tied to killing newly hatched chicks, while also noting tradeoffs, including what happens if male chicks are no longer available as feed for some other animals. Meanwhile, industry reporting suggests in ovo sexing is moving from pilot stage into broader commercial use in Europe and beyond. (gov.uk)
What to watch: Watch for whether more countries move from advisory opinions to formal bans, and whether earlier, faster in ovo sexing methods can scale without creating new welfare or cost concerns. (questions-statements.parliament.uk)
A new Animals review puts fresh focus on the poultry sector’s long-running excess cockerel problem, framing it not only as an animal welfare issue, but also as a legal and bioeconomic one. The paper examines the annual culling of male chicks from layer lines, which have little value in conventional egg or meat supply chains, and evaluates the main alternatives now being pursued by regulators, hatcheries, and technology developers. (nature.com)
The backdrop is a policy environment that has been tightening, especially in Europe. Germany introduced a nationwide ban on chick culling effective January 1, 2022, and tied that policy to the use of in ovo sex determination before hatch. France followed with its own ban from January 1, 2023, though published materials note exemptions, including some incorrectly sexed chicks and chicks destined for animal feed. In the UK, the government said on March 4, 2026, that it would like to see an end to the killing of day-old chicks and would work with the egg industry toward that goal. (bmel.de)
That policy momentum has pushed in ovo sexing to the center of the conversation. The UK’s Animal Welfare Committee concluded in its 2024 opinion that in ovo sexing has the potential to reduce welfare harms compared with routine post-hatch culling, while also highlighting unresolved questions around embryo sentience, method timing, and downstream supply effects. Industry and market reporting suggest adoption is accelerating: one 2024 overview estimated that about 78.4 million of the EU’s 389 million hens had been sexed in ovo in 2024, roughly 20% penetration at that point, with further growth expected as more hatcheries install commercial systems. (gov.uk)
The science is still moving, which helps explain why this remains an active veterinary and policy topic. Recent research in Scientific Reports described a biomarker-based in ovo screening approach aimed at earlier and faster sex determination, and noted that some existing methods are limited by how late in incubation they can be used or by breed-specific constraints. That matters because the welfare argument for in ovo sexing depends heavily on how early sex can be determined, how invasive the method is, and whether it can work reliably at industrial scale. (doi.org)
Expert and industry commentary shows the debate is broader than a simple “ban versus no ban” framing. A 2024 University of Copenhagen press release summarizing related academic work argued that bans alone do not solve the underlying structural problem if they simply shift the burden to embryo destruction without addressing breeding, economics, or the fate of male birds in the wider system. Industry groups, by contrast, have emphasized that commercial in ovo platforms are already allowing hatcheries to comply with legal restrictions while avoiding at least some of the welfare harms associated with culling newly hatched chicks. (via.ritzau.dk)
Why it matters: For veterinarians and animal health professionals, this issue touches several layers of practice and policy at once. There’s the direct welfare question of whether harm is being reduced or merely moved earlier in development. There are also implications for hatchery oversight, breeding decisions, biosecurity, handling protocols, and the use of surplus chicks in other animal production systems. As more jurisdictions consider restrictions, veterinary voices will likely be important in evaluating not just the ethics of culling, but also the welfare profile, validation, and unintended consequences of the alternatives being adopted. (gov.uk)
The paper’s bioeconomy framing is also useful. It reflects a growing recognition that welfare reforms need to work inside real production systems, where cost, throughput, genetics, consumer expectations, and regulatory compliance all matter. Dual-purpose breeds and rearing male chicks remain part of the discussion, but both are generally seen as more resource-intensive than specialized commercial systems, which is one reason in ovo sexing has gained so much traction. That doesn’t make the ethical questions disappear, but it does explain why technology adoption has moved faster than broader breed-system redesign. (foodagribusiness.world)
What to watch: The next phase will likely center on three questions: whether more governments turn policy intent into legal mandates, whether earlier and less invasive in ovo methods hold up under commercial conditions, and whether the sector can build a welfare case that satisfies regulators, veterinarians, and increasingly attentive pet parents and food consumers alike. (questions-statements.parliament.uk)