Germany approves draft law to end mass culling of male chicks

Germany is expected to become the first country to ban mass culling of male chicks in the poultry industry, the government said after approving a draft law ending the controversial practice.

The measure passed by the cabinet envisages a ban on mass chick killing from 2022 in “a significant step forward for animal welfare”, the agriculture minister, Julia Klöckner, said in a statement on Wednesday.

In many poultry businesses, male chicks are separated from females soon after hatching and shredded or gassed as they do not produce eggs and generate less meat.

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