Sign our petition to ban the killing of male chicks by suffocating and grinding

  We are pleased to announce that we have started a petition to ask parliament to ban the killing for one-day-old male chicks . Every year in the UK four million male chicks are ground up, gassed or suffocated alive because their gender means they can’t lay eggs. The process involves humans quickly checking the sex of the chick after hatching. The female chicks are sent to produce eggs, the male chicks are not needed. They’re not used for food as the species of chicken used in the meat industry is different as we have bred chickens that are either efficient at producing eggs or efficient at producing meat. This practice of using an industrial grinder to kill chicks is barbaric, and it is hidden from the public. According to Viva , 66% of British people are unaware of the practice, but when they found out, 69% said it should be banned. The practice is well documented and covered in the press. In this recent Guardian article, Chas Newkey-Burden reveals that ‘the mass murder of male chicks and trimming of females’ beaks are standard practice in factory farming. Consumers must say no to these anachronisms’. This is a cross political issue, the left and right wing press have been just as disgusted, both the Telegraph have covered this , as well as the Daily Mail . This is an official government petition, which means that if we get 10,000 signatures, the government has to respond. If we get 100,000 signatures, the government will consider debating this issue in parliament. The aims of our petition are as follows: 1. To put pressure on our government to invest in developing technology to identify the sex of the chicks at an early stage of gestation. The technology is close to working. Once ready, we want to see this become mandatory 2. To put pressure on farms to offer more expensive eggs that are slaughter-free, cruelty-free and support the hens and cocks living out their natural lives, long past their egg-laying days. We note that this is not good for the environment. 4. Through education, to encourage the public to stop eating eggs produced via cruel methods. Currently, ethical alternatives are very difficult to find and are not scaleable. 5. We encourage people to move towards removing eggs from their diet completely. If you care about this issue, please sign the petition and share with your friends on social media .