09/02/2022 (Agence Europe) – On 6 February, as announced in July 2021 by the French Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, France and Germany became the first countries to end the culling of male chicks in the egg production industry. France and Germany have called for EU legislation in this area (see EUROPE 12759/6). “The decree specifying the terms and conditions of application was published on 6 February in the Official Journal”, says the Ministry of Agriculture. Every year in France, 50 million male day-old chicks are crushed for lack of value and economic opportunity. Putting an end to this practice of systematically killing male chicks is “a strong social expectation to which the industry and the government are responding”, according to Paris. Alternative solutions can be deployed within the industry. (LC)