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

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to providing financial support for the introduction of egg sexing technologies to help prevent the culling of male chicks in the egg industry.

As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy for England (see attached), this Government is committed to encouraging industry to end the practice of male chick culling. While there are no current plans to provide direct financial support for the introduction of egg sexing technologies, Defra has funded research into dual breed chicken use which removes the need to kill male chicks.