BY VIRMAN JURI
ANNUALLY, seven billion male chicks are being culled worldwide. Male layer chickens do not have commercial or economical value for hatcheries in contrast to female layer chickens that lay eggs. This fact raises a glaring concern in the poultry industry in matters pertaining to animal welfare.
Furthermore in Malaysia, food security issues have constantly hit the headlines with consumers frustrated with acute egg shortages and the ensuing increase in egg prices.
In November last year, Malaysia saw a shortage of 157 million eggs and this has led the current government to import eggs from India.
“It is time to strike a balance between food security and animal welfare,” urged Professor Datuk Dr Zulkifli Idrus who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
“Chick culling” is the process of slaughtering the surplus of newborn chicks, especially male ones through conventional methods of mechanical or gas killing.
