Chris Packham, the Springwatch presenter, has called on UK supermarkets to take action to end the culling of male chicks in the egg industry. Packham, 65, joined a group of public figures, including actress Dame Joanna Lumley and actor Brian Cox, in signing a letter addressed to major retailers urging them to stop the practice.

Currently, an estimated 45 million male chicks are culled annually in the UK shortly after hatching because they cannot lay eggs or are deemed unsuitable for meat production. The process has drawn increasing criticism for being both cruel and wasteful.

Packham described the practice as unacceptable in modern Britain, emphasizing that other countries have already adopted alternatives to male chick culling. “The UK continues to lag behind,” he said, underscoring the need for urgent changes within the egg industry. He urged both producers and retailers to heed public concerns and phase out the practice without delay.

The campaign to end male chick culling is being led by the Vegetarian Society and has garnered support from a range of public figures, including actress Sadie Frost, children’s television presenters, and environmental activists. Despite growing awareness, the practice remains widespread in the UK egg sector.

Supermarkets and industry representatives have yet to issue a detailed response to the call for change. However, advocates argue that shifting to alternative methods, such as in-ovo sexing technology, could prevent the need for culling by identifying the sex of chicks before hatching.

The issue highlights ongoing tensions between animal welfare concerns and traditional agricultural practices in the UK’s food production sector. Campaigners maintain that ending male chick culling would reflect evolving ethical standards and align the UK with international peers who have made significant progress in adopting humane alternatives.