Eggs are something many people in Japan eat almost every day. Behind the scenes, it is estimated that more than 100 million male chicks are born each year in Japan, and many of them are culled. This is because male chicks of egg-laying breeds do not lay eggs and are not suitable for meat production.
However, there is already a way to solve this problem: “in-ovo sexing,” a technology that determines sex while the egg is still unhatched. Because sex can be determined before the embryo develops after incubation begins, there is no longer any need to cull male chicks after they hatch. Around the world, a movement is spreading to ban male chick culling and introduce in-ovo sexing.
*Prepared by Animal Rights Center based on publicly available information as of June 2026. See the end of the document for detailed sources.
In Germany and France, laws regulating male chick culling have already begun to be put in place since around 2022. In addition, discussions are underway across the EU as a whole toward abolishing male chick culling1, and there is a possibility that regulations will expand further in the future.
So, does that mean the technology will not be adopted without laws? Not at all.
In Norway, the technology was introduced for the first time in 2023 without legal regulation. It was also introduced in the United States in 2024, and in Australia in May 2026. Even without laws, adoption will move forward voluntarily if market demand is expected.
In this way, around the world,
- Countries that ban male chick culling by law
- Countries where companies and the industry move forward with voluntary adoption even without laws
Change is progressing through these two routes.
Japan
Meanwhile, Japan has not yet entered either route. There are no legal regulations, and the introduction of in-ovo sexing at a commercial scale has not been confirmed.
Behind the many eggs that are consumed, countless chicks are sacrificed. It may be difficult for legal regulation to be implemented immediately. However, in Japan as well, research into this technology has been advancing at universities and companies. For example, there is technology that can determine sex with high accuracy as early as just three days after incubation simply by taking a photo of the egg2.
What is needed next is adoption at actual hatcheries and the start of distribution. To make that happen, it is important for as many consumers as possible to recognize the current situation and call for a ban on male chick culling.
Change has already begun around the world. To solve this problem in Japan as well, we need your voice.
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Sources
[Key sources used to create the figure]
• Germany: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)
https://www.bmel.de/DE/themen/tiere/tierschutz/tierwohl-forschung-in-ovo.html
• France: Official Journal of the French Republic (Legifrance)
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000045124750
• Austria: Austrian Federal Legal Information System (RIS), “Animal Welfare Act (Tierschutzgesetz)”
https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=20003541
• Italy: Animal Equality
https://animalequality.org/news/2025/03/28/italys-male-chick-killing-ban-stalls-colosseum-lights-up-in-protest/
• The Netherlands: Innovate Animal Ag
https://innovateanimalag.org/blog/dutch-government-announces-roadmap-to-end-chick-culling-by-2026
• Belgium: Hendrix Genetics
https://layinghens.hendrix-genetics.com/en/news/vepymo-opts-for-in-ovos-ella-egg-sexing-technology/
• Switzerland: Orbem
https://www.orbem.ai/newsroom/genus-focus-for-in-ovo-sexing-in-switzerland
• Norway: Innovate Animal Ag
https://innovateanimalag.org/blog/norway-hatchery
• United States: Canadian Poultry Magazine
https://www.canadianpoultrymag.com/cracking-the-code/
• Australia: Agri Advanced Technologies (AAT)
https://www.agri-at.com/2026/05/06/aat-und-sba-kuendigen-die-markteinfuehrung-der-cheggy-in-ovo-sexing-technologie-in-australien-an/
• Brazil: Innovate Animal Ag
https://innovateanimalag.org/egg-sexing
[Sources cited in the main text]
- European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), Male chick culling in the egg production industry
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2022/739246/EPRS_ATA%282022%29739246_EN.pdf ↩︎ - Hitachi Solutions Create, Ltd. “Press release on in-egg sex determination technology using image analysis AI”
https://www.hitachi-solutions-create.co.jp/company/newsrelease/2026/pdf/20260122.pdf ↩︎
