France announces ban on chick maceration

February 6, 2020

While acknowledging a large-scale solution must be found that makes in-ovo egg sexing feasible, France’s secretary of agriculture, Didier Guillaume, announced a plan to oblige farms to adopt in-ovo sexing technology by 2022. Guillaume did not indicate any support or solutions to develop this needed technology.

The German government was the first to announce a planned ban in 2015, which at the time was scheduled for 2017. Though Germany’s government spent over $5 million and several million more has been spent by private companies, no commercial solution to date has emerged. Currently in Germany, in-ovo selected eggs are available, but the technology is not scalable to even Germany’s egg industry. Animal activist groups have also pushed for a ban through German courts, requiring the industry to raise the male chicks.

Guillaume also announced France would ban castrating pigs without anesthetic. Several U.S. media outlets, including CNN, covered the announcement by France. See UEP’s updated statement on chick culling here.