Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 May 2023
205. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the sectors that are involved in the maceration of chicks in Ireland; the number of companies killing chicks in this abhorrent way; the number of chicks killed every year; and if he will introduce a ban on chick maceration. [20915/23]
View answerAnimal welfare is a high priority for me, and my Department is fully engaged with the ongoing review of the European Union animal welfare legislation.Maceration of chicks (up to 72 hours of age) is a legally permitted killing method under Council Regulation No. 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing. It must be carried out in such a way that it results in immediate death of the chicks.
In Ireland, the laying hen industry does not kill male chicks, as the female chicks are imported generally from the United Kingdom.
There is some limited killing of male chicks in other sectors, for example in commercial hatcheries in the broiler breeding industry. However, the numbers are very small as male broiler chicks are generally suitable for the production of meat.
My Department does not record the number of chicks killed using this method.
This is a topic will be looked at in the context of the ongoing review of the animal welfare legislation at EU level as part of the Farm to Fork Strategy. In July 2021, Ireland supported a German-French proposal that asked the European Commission to carry out an impact assessment on a potential EU-wide prohibition of this practice in the laying hen sector, with a view to better understanding the potential practicalities and implications for the poultry sector.
