A new investigation by the L214 organization has brought to light the cruel practices of a French hatchery located in La Boissière-en-Gâtine, in the New-Aquitaine region. The images show thousands of chicks being shredded alive on a conveyor belt, a scene that testifies to the brutality of a part of the food industry still tolerated in Europe.
Currently in France only the killing of male chicks born to laying hens is prohibited, but the rule does not apply to the poultry meat supply chain, where the killing continues undisturbed. L214 requests that the slaughter ban be extended to all chicks, without exceptions regarding sex or production destination.
Report of mistreatment and investigations underway
Following the publication of the images, L214 filed a complaint for serious mistreatment against the Boyé Accouvage hatchery, accused of systematic violence against animals. The Terrena agri-food group, owner of the structure, declared that it had launched an internal investigation, while the poultry meat interprofessional Anvol defined the images as “inappropriate”, while minimizing the extent of the phenomenon.
According to L214, the chicks are eliminated because they are considered useless for production purposes, as they do not correspond to the farmers’ requests. A part of the supply chain instead justifies these killings as “euthanasia of non-viable subjects”, estimated at between 1 and 1.5% of the specimens born. However, animal rights associations denounce the lack of transparency and monitoring of the phenomenon.
Italy on the front line with a law already approved
In Italy, a 2022 law bans the selective culling of male chicks in the egg supply chain. The implementing decree, recently published, requires the use of in-ovo sexing technologies, capable of identifying the sex of the chick before hatching, thus avoiding the birth and death of male specimens.
This ban will come into full force on December 31, 2026, and represents a decisive step towards a more ethical and sustainable production model. L214 hopes that France and the European Union will also follow this direction, putting an end once and for all to a barbaric and antiquated practice.
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