Target: Chad Gregory, President and CEO, United Egg Producers
Goal: Applaud plan to end the torturous culling of hundreds of millions of male chicks per year.
In a massive victory for animal rights, United Egg Producers has pledged to stop the culling of male chicks by 2020. The egg production cooperative provides 95 percent of all eggs sold in American stores. This move, due in part to pressure from animal welfare groups and activists at ForceChange, will prevent the cruel and unnecessary deaths of hundreds of millions of animals every year.
Male chicks born in egg factories are considered useless, as they cannot produce eggs and were not bred to produce meat. Male chicks are therefore culled after sexing. They are sometimes thrown into a machine to be ground up alive, and are sometimes just thrown in bags or bins to suffocate under the weight of thousands more chicks.
While United Egg Producers is aiming for the complete elimination of this cruel practice by 2020, the organization says it could be sooner if alternatives to culling can be implemented quickly. These alternatives include in-ovo sexing, a process in which male eggs can be eliminated before they are hatched. Scientists are also working on a way to turn male eggs a different color so that they can be sexed even sooner.
Though many cruelties common in the egg industry will persist, this bold move will set a precedent for the world to follow. Countless animals will be saved from immense suffering before their deaths. Sign the petition below to applaud United Egg Producers’ decision to end the culling of male chicks, and ask the company to work quickly to implement the necessary changes.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Gregory,
United Egg Producers has recently announced a plan to phase out the culling of live male chicks by 2020. This plan will see alternative methods, such as in-ovo sexing, used instead. The plan will save hundreds of millions of chicks from being ground up alive, gassed, or suffocated simply because they are deemed useless.
This practice is barbaric and must be stopped as son as possible. By stopping the culling of male chicks, United Egg Producers will be ushering in a new era for the global egg farming industry. We, the undersigned, applaud this ambitious and groundbreaking new plan, and ask that you work to implement it as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Benjamin Rondel
so they are going to keep killing them until 2020, that’s some kind of victory!! DO IT NOW!
In the meantime, more innocent babies will be unnecessarily killed because they produce no profit and are seen as worthless to these selfish, greedy corporations.
This pledging of “phasing out” of incredibly barbaric and brutal torture of animals over a prolonged period of time has become a standard deception by the food industry. It’s another empty pledge to reduce the pressure by the public and animal rights organizations regarding their grinding up a billion live chicks in the coming years. There appears to be no “phasing out”. They will research ways to detect males earlier and they will likely say in 2020 that it will take more time or the phasing out will begin at some time in the future (after 2020) but will be a slow process as it will cost the industry too much to do quickly. What would you think of a person who ground up a live baby chick? Well, execs in the egg industry have had no qualms about doing that and worse to “hundreds of millions” of live chicks per year!!! Do you think they are going to have any qualms about lying to you!?! This empty PR initiative is a great victory for the #1 animal abuser in the world, the United Egg Producers and, if the “pledge” remains toothless, a great defeat for animals. Above it says, “United Egg Producers is AIMING for the complete elimination of this cruel practice by 2020” – pathetically empty. Elsewhere it says, “Though many cruelties common in the egg industry will persist” – that’s the understatement of the year! Have you ever seen videos of how egg laying hens are treated? There needs to be a petition demanding that they end their most disgusting and sadistic practices now.
Well said, Nick! I wish I could disagree with you and provide proof they are virtuous, ethical business owners – they are not. :-((
I do understand that male chick’s are unusable and there must be a better way. Keeping them alive is no solution there will be millions of homeless hungry roosters that would suffer for years before deach. You only need 1 male for every 8- 10 hens if using the hens for reproduction. No matter how they stop Roosters are going to suffer. I had a rooster with 6 hens. I was lucky to have found someone that had room at their chicken rEscuela. 6 hens were not enougthe. I had hens that had balding backs. He was overmating due time needing more hens. Unfortunately they do not cook well especially after about 5-6 months old. These farmers are going to need till 2020 to figure out a real solution.
The Time to Stop All Cruelty and Suffering is NOW! How Very Sadistic to cause deliberate Harm or Suffering to a Baby Chick, or Baby Duck! For Deep Shame!
I’m with you all, this must stop today, not in 4 years!
I could be ignorant here, but don’t ‘they’ grow chickens for several weeks (probably filling them with growth hormones)for the BBQ and take away shops?
What of selling them for pet food?
There are many alternatives where money could be made from all the male chicks hatched, rather than committing heinous murder on them.
Signed & Shared. ?
UNACCEPTABLE…THEY DO NOT NEED TO WAIT…2020 is 4 yrs away what the hell do they need to wait for….do it now.
This is not a victory, not until they actual stop.
Alternatives MUST be found. Eight years before implementing change is FAR TOO LONG. If there’s a WILL, there is a WAY!!
They stated that “These alternatives include in-ovo sexing, a process in which male eggs can be eliminated before they are hatched”. At what point does that mean they will be killed in the egg? When they are conscious? When they have a developed nervous system? If so, that is still torture! And that is not a solution by any means!
I won’t sign for the reasons I’ve stated.
Not sure what the plan is. Its all well and good but what form of good will it be and why does it have to wait and continue with the killing of chicks for another four years
I’m NOT signing. The year 2020! The whole chicken industry is bent on greed, abuse just continues.
me too. I see nothing to be thankful for.