Male Chick Culling

Maureen Burke Excerpts
Thursday 11th September 2025

(1 day, 17 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Irene Campbell Portrait Irene Campbell (North Ayrshire and Arran) (Lab)
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I declare an interest: earlier this week, I hosted the “Ban Hatch and Dispatch” event in Parliament with the Vegetarian Society, as well as hosting a drop-in event the previous week. It was important to hear presentations from industry experts about the innovative and effective in-ovo testing laboratories in Europe, which offer a vision of what we could have here in the UK. I will be hosting a further event on 4 November and I encourage colleagues to attend. I am keenly awaiting the publication of the animal welfare strategy this autumn, and I hope that this topic will be discussed in it.

Maureen Burke Portrait Maureen Burke (Glasgow North East) (Lab)
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I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this animal cruelty to the attention of the House. Considering the advances that have been made in determining the sex of chicks before they hatch, does she agree that there is absolutely no excuse for commercial egg producers to be routinely culling animals on such a massive scale?

Irene Campbell Portrait Irene Campbell
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I could not agree more.