Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made for the implications for her policies of recent bans on male chick culling in (a) Germany, (b) France and (c) Austria.

The Government is aware of the strong public feeling on the culling of male chicks. The Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published in December 2025, sets out that the Government would like to see an end to the practice of killing day-old chicks and is committed to encouraging industry to end the practice. The Government pays close attention to international precedent when formulating its policies.