Proposal under the consideration of European Union to ban chick culling
Proposal led by France, Germany and Portugal to the EU
For background, this paper is presented by the EU on the practice of chick culling and the effects on animal welfare:
EU briefing paper
The resolution refers to the practice of "chick culling": unwanted (usually male) chicks are usually killed in the intensive animal farming industry (around 7 billion male chicks are killed each year worldwide). This is because male chicks do not lay eggs. The male chicks are usually killed soon after they are born through one of three means
1. thrown into meat grinders (maceration, this is the most common method in the US)
2. breaking their necks (cervical dislocation)
3. gasing them to death with carbon dioxide (asphyxiation).
New technologies allow the sex of chicks to be determined while they are still on their eggs, called "in-ovo sexing" (ie, figuring out the sex of the egg before they hatch, and therefore avoid killing live male chicks).
This resolution effectively implements such a ban, and to require World Assembly member states share such technologies.
There are two Wikipedia articles that may be of interest:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-ovo_sexing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_culling
Because of animal welfare concerns, there is societal opposition to chick culling. In the 2010s, scientists developed technologies to determine the sexes of chicks when they are still in their eggs (in-ovo sexing). As soon as these methods were available on a commercial scale, Germany and France jointly became the first countries in the world to prohibit all chick killing from 1 January 2022, and called on other EU member states to do the same.
To add the question asked earlier (on discord): a resolution that forces male chicks from breeds for eggs to be raised to full blown cocks would not work as they cannot compete against bigger cocks from breeds raised for meat in terms of meat content. For example, hybrid White Leghorns are used in egg production, while chickens raised for meat are commonly a hybrid between Cornish hens and Plymouth Rock breeds. Cocks from the Brahma breed can reach 12 pounds, but that's less common commercially.
Category: Moral Decency/Mild (the category was as advised by Gensec)
Draft 3
The World Assembly,
Noting that some member states in the multiverse engage in industrial farming of chicks, ducklings, goslings and other species for consumption of their eggs and/or meat (hereafter, collectively for convenience, "chicks" for all newborn and younger members of such species);
Concerned that in industrial farming, chicks of a particular sex are frequently culled after birth for economic reasons through techniques that may be considered inhumane, such as maceration, cervical dislocation and asphyxiation, and that alternatives such as raising male chicks for egg-laying breeds to full grown size may not be economical against breeds of bigger cocks specifically grown for meat;
Noting that recent advances in technologies regarding low-cost in-ovo sexing (the determination of the sex of chicks inside the egg prior to hatching) in some member states allow eggs that are not viable commercially to be destroyed before hatching, thus substantially reducing concerns over the welfare of chicks;
- Hereby requires any member state that engages in industrial farming of chicks that has gained access to in-ovo sexing technologies, or other more advanced technologies that reduce animal suffering, to:
- start adopting such technologies as soon as reasonably practicable after it gains access; and
- to phase out the use of post-hatching chick culling techniques (including, but not limited to, maceration, cervical dislocation, asphyxiation and other less humane culling techniques), in favour of in-ovo sexing technologies, or other more advanced technologies, as soon as reasonably practicable;
- Further, hereby encourages:
- Any member state that has in-ovo sexing technologies or other more advanced technologies to license or transfer such technologies to other member states lacking such technologies on reasonable commercial terms;
- Any member state that has not yet gained access to such technologies to acquire or license such technologies, as soon as reasonably practicable;
- Further research by member states into new technologies that improve animal welfare in industrial farming;
- Hereby clarifies that this resolution does not affect any culling of chicks on the grounds of affecting public health and hygiene.
Draft 1
Draft 3 vs Draft 2: not changed much other than spelling out that this may include non avian species, just to cover for sci -fi RP concerns.
Draft 2 says: "Concerned that in industrial farming, chicks of a particular sex are frequently culled after birth for economic reasons through techniques that may be considered inhumane, such as marceration, cervical dislocation and asphyxiation, and that alternatives such as raising male chicks for egg-laying breeds to adult size may not be economical against breeds of bigger cocks specifically grown for meat;"
Draft 1 had the same in bullet form and had a more detailed description of how chicks are culled such as what marceration is. This has been removed.