The Epoch Times BY
In an effort to stop the barbaric culling of male chicks, scientists plan to create GE hens that pass on lethal genes to their male offspring, killing them before they hatch. But the biotechnology raises equally disturbing ethical and safety issues.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Each year, more than 6 billion male chicks are killed worldwide, up to 300 million of them in the U.S., as part of the industrialized egg industry
- A team of Israeli scientists have filed a concept patent that involves genetically engineering hens to pass on a lethality, or killer, gene to male embryos, which would eliminate them before they hatch
- Once the eggs are laid, blue light would then be used to activate the lethality gene and kill all of the male embryos in-ovo, or in the egg
- This will likely be presented as a more “humane” approach, but it comes with significant risks, including to the hen, because the lethality gene is likely to produce highly toxic protein that could make the hen sick
- The European Commission stated that such GE hens and their eggs would not be classified as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and therefore would exist outside of the EU’s GMO regulations
One of the atrocities of industrialized agriculture is the egg industry’s killing of male chicks. Each year, more than 6 billion male chicks are killed worldwide, up to 300 million of them in the U.S.1 The reasoning behind this abhorrent practice is at the root of what is wrong with corporate agriculture — egg-laying hens are bred to lay eggs, and nothing more.
Because males cannot produce eggs, and don’t grow enough meat to make them useful for human consumption (as opposed to broiler chickens, bred to grow unnaturally large), they would cost more to raise than they would be “worth.” With complete disregard for life, egg producers therefore “cull” the males, or kill them off, shortly after birth, sending them to be used as pet feed, livestock feed or simply filler for landfills.
