{"id": 1227375, "name": "Banning of chick culling", "unit": "", "createdAt": "2026-04-16T11:04:42.000Z", "updatedAt": "2026-04-16T11:04:42.000Z", "coverage": "", "timespan": "2026-2026", "datasetId": 7796, "shortUnit": "", "columnOrder": 0, "shortName": "status", "catalogPath": "grapher/animal_welfare/2026-04-16/chick_culling_laws/chick_culling_laws#status", "licenses": "[{\"name\": \"CC BY 4.0\"}]", "type": "string", "grapherConfigIdETL": "019d95f6-f1c2-782d-9dfb-2201148d6c1d", "datasetName": "Chick culling laws", "datasetVersion": "2026-04-16", "nonRedistributable": false, "display": {}, "schemaVersion": 2, "processingLevel": "minor", "presentation": {"topicTagsLinks": ["Animal Welfare"]}, "dimensions": {"years": {"values": [{"id": 2026}]}, "entities": {"values": [{"id": 23, "name": "Australia", "code": "AUS"}, {"id": 24, "name": "Austria", "code": "AUT"}, {"id": 4, "name": "Belgium", "code": "BEL"}, {"id": 39, "name": "Bulgaria", "code": "BGR"}, {"id": 44, "name": "Canada", "code": "CAN"}, {"id": 165, "name": "Croatia", "code": "HRV"}, {"id": 163, "name": "Cyprus", "code": "CYP"}, {"id": 162, "name": "Czechia", "code": "CZE"}, {"id": 161, "name": "Denmark", "code": "DNK"}, {"id": 156, "name": "Estonia", "code": "EST"}, {"id": 155, "name": "Finland", "code": "FIN"}, {"id": 3, "name": "France", "code": "FRA"}, {"id": 6, "name": "Germany", "code": "DEU"}, {"id": 149, "name": "Greece", "code": "GRC"}, {"id": 138, "name": "Hungary", "code": "HUN"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Ireland", "code": "IRL"}, {"id": 8, "name": "Italy", "code": "ITA"}, {"id": 122, "name": "Latvia", "code": "LVA"}, {"id": 119, "name": "Lithuania", "code": "LTU"}, {"id": 210, "name": "Luxembourg", "code": "LUX"}, {"id": 212, "name": "Malta", "code": "MLT"}, {"id": 5, "name": "Netherlands", "code": "NLD"}, {"id": 106, "name": "New Zealand", "code": "NZL"}, {"id": 102, "name": "Norway", "code": "NOR"}, {"id": 11, "name": "Poland", "code": "POL"}, {"id": 95, "name": "Portugal", "code": "PRT"}, {"id": 92, "name": "Romania", "code": "ROU"}, {"id": 85, "name": "Slovakia", "code": "SVK"}, {"id": 83, "name": "Slovenia", "code": "SVN"}, {"id": 9, "name": "Spain", "code": "ESP"}, {"id": 10, "name": "Sweden", "code": "SWE"}, {"id": 7, "name": "Switzerland", "code": "CHE"}, {"id": 1, "name": "United Kingdom", "code": "GBR"}, {"id": 13, "name": "United States", "code": "USA"}]}}, "origins": [{"id": 14334, "title": "Chick culling laws", "descriptionSnapshot": "Male baby chicks are commonly killed in laying hens hatcheries all around the world, as they provide no value for the egg production industry. Only a minority of country has laws to ban this practice. This dataset is a compilation of evidence (from official institutions and in some cases from the news) of chick culling taking place in a country, and, in some cases, of existing laws banning it.", "producer": "Various sources", "citationFull": "Evidence of laws banning chick culling, and evidence of chick culling being practiced without any ban, has been gathered from various sources for different countries.\n Some of those sources were extracted from [a report by the European Institute for Animal Law & Policy](https://animallaweurope.org/wp-content/uploads/Animal-Law-Europe-%E2%80%93-Chick-Killing-Report-2023.pdf): \"Chick and Duckling Killing: Achieving an EU-Wide Prohibition\" (White paper, January 2023) by Alice Di Concetto, Olivier Morice, Matthias Corion, Sim\u00e3o Santos.\n- Austria: Banned. Source: [Section 6(2a) of the Animal Welfare Act (\u00a7 6 Abs. 2a Tierschutzgesetz).](https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=20003541) Chicks used for feed production are exempt.\n- France: Banned. Source: [Article R 214-17(II) of the Rural Code (Article R 214-17(II) du Code rural et de la p\u00eache maritime).](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000045129069) Chicks used for animal feed are exempt.\n- Germany: Banned. Source: [Section 4c of the Animal Welfare Act (\u00a7 4c Tierschutzgesetz).](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/tierschg/BJNR012770972.html)\n- Italy: Banned but not yet in effect. Source: [Legislative Decree 205/2023 (Decreto Legislativo 7 dicembre 2023, n. 205).](https://www.normattiva.it/eli/id/2023/12/23/23G00212/ORIGINAL) Date effective: 2026-12-31.\n- Luxembourg: Banned. Source: [Law of 27 June 2018 on animal protection (Loi du 27 juin 2018 sur la protection des animaux).](https://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/loi/2018/06/27/a537/jo)\n- Switzerland: Partially banned. Source: [Article 20(g) of the Animal Protection Ordinance (Art. 20 Bst. g Tierschutzverordnung).](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2008/416/de) Shredding of live chicks is banned. Killing by gas remains legal.\n- Belgium: Partially banned. Source: [Walloon Government communiqu\u00e9, 3 July 2025 (Communiqu\u00e9 du Gouvernement de Wallonie, 3 juillet 2025).](https://www.wallonie.be/fr/acteurs-et-institutions/wallonie/gouvernement-de-wallonie/communiques-presse/2025-07-03-0) Regional measures only. Wallonia banned chick grinding in 2021.\n- Norway: Not banned. Source: [White Paper on Animal Welfare, Norwegian Government (Meld. St. 8 (2024-2025) Dyrevelferd, Regjeringen).](https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/meld.-st.-8-20242025/id3080297/?ch=7) No binding legislation. The industry pledged to adopt in-ovo sexing by July 2027.\n- Netherlands: Not banned. Source: [Parliamentary letter on chick culling roadmap, Dutch Government (Kamerbrief aanbieden roadmap eendagshaantjes).](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2025/02/11/kamerbrief-aanbieden-roadmap-eendagshaantjes) No binding legislation. Government roadmap targets phasing out chick culling by 2026.\n- Australia: Not banned. Source: [Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF).](https://www.agriculture.gov.au/agriculture-land/animal/welfare/standards-guidelines)\n- Canada: Not banned. Source: [Preventive Control Plan for Hatcheries, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).](https://inspection.canada.ca/en/animal-health/terrestrial-animals/hatcheries/preventive-control-plan-hatcheries)\n- New Zealand: Not banned. Source: [Code of Welfare: Layer Hens, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) New Zealand.](https://www.mpi.govt.nz/animals/animal-welfare/codes/all-animal-welfare-codes/code-of-welfare-layer-hens)\n- United Kingdom: Not banned. Source: [The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 (WATOK).](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1782/schedule/2/paragraph/44/made)\n- United States: Not banned. Source: [Animal Legal & Historical Center, Michigan State University.](https://www.animallaw.info/article/detailed-discussion-legal-protections-domestic-chicken-united-states-and-europe)\n- Bulgaria: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Croatia: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Cyprus: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Czechia: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Denmark: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Estonia: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Finland: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Greece: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Hungary: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Ireland: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Latvia: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Lithuania: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Malta: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Poland: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Portugal: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Romania: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Slovakia: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Slovenia: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Spain: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n- Sweden: Not banned. Source: [European Parliamentary Research Service (2022-12).](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA(2022)739246_EN.pdf)\n", "urlMain": "https://animallaweurope.com/news/", "dateAccessed": "2026-04-16", "datePublished": "2026-04-16"}]}