MPs and animal welfare organisations are urging the government to end the practice of male chick culling to ensure better animal welfare standards.

Supporting MPs and The Vegetarian Society wrote an open letter to the government asking for the practice of killing male chicks on their first days of life to be stopped.

The letter encourages the use of in-ovo sexing technology, which will allow identification of the sex of a chick before production begins.

The statement read, “A ban now, paired with a clear roadmap and appropriate government support, would demonstrate that the UK continues to take animal welfare seriously.

“We are calling on the UK government to modernise an industrial process that no longer aligns with our values as a country—a country that prides itself on its high animal welfare standards.”

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According to data from The Vegetarian Society UK, the public largely supports this initiative, with 72% agreeing that it should be banned, while 74% would support technology that can identify the sex of chickens earlier.

The government previously stated that the practice should be made “illegal as soon as reliable, accurate methods for sexing eggs prior to hatch are available to be implemented in GB hatcheries.”

A group of animal welfare societies and MPs proposed that the government collaborate with the industry to create technology-driven solutions that could be used in production.

In March, retailers Greggs, M&S, Waitrose and Premier Foods were on the top of the list for global animal welfare.