The egg industry is hiding a dark secret of chick culling, where millions of male chicks are killed every year because they are deemed useless for producing eggs or meat. However, an American egg producer, John Brunnquell, plans to start selling eggs from chickens bought from a hatchery equipped with new technology that avoids the grim fate for male chicks. The technology, known as in-ovo sexing, allows for determining the sex of a chick before it hatches, enabling unwanted eggs to be destroyed before the embryo can feel pain. This method, used in several European countries, would add a few cents per egg to the cost.
Despite a nonbinding pledge by the United Egg Producers to end chick culling by 2020, the United States has lagged behind in implementing the in-ovo sexing technology due to various reasons. The scale of the egg industry in the U.S. has been cited as a barrier, with smaller European hatcheries being better positioned to adopt the technology. However, Robert Yaman, founder of Innovate Animal Ag, believes that the scale of the industry in Europe is similar to that in the U.S. and that ending chick culling is a priority that aligns with improving animal welfare.
Male chicks serve little to no purpose in commercial egg production, given that they cannot lay eggs and their flesh is deemed unsuitable for consumption. This practice of chick culling has drawn criticism from animal rights groups, who view it as a cruel and unnecessary practice that disregards the suffering of sentient beings. In Europe, in-ovo sexing technology is being used to determine the sex of embryos before they hatch, allowing for the disposal of unwanted male chicks before they are born.
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research has recognized the potential benefits of widespread adoption of in-ovo sexing technology, including reducing costs and inefficiencies in egg production. They have announced a multimillion dollar prize to develop highly accurate in-ovo sexing technology that can be used at a commercial scale. Various methods of in-ovo sexing, such as noninvasive imaging of incubating eggs or sampling and analyzing the fluid inside the eggshell, are currently in use in Europe.
Despite the potential benefits and ethical considerations of ending chick culling in the egg industry, consumer awareness of the practice in the United States remains low. However, there is hope that consumers may be willing to pay a bit extra for eggs produced without chick culling. John Brunnquell of Egg Innovations is leading the way in the U.S. by planning to sell eggs produced without chick culling, with the expectation that other producers may follow suit once awareness of the issue grows among consumers.
