Animal Equality demands action for male chicks at Colosseum in Rome, Italy

On 24th February, Animal Equality projected a powerful message onto the iconic Colosseum in Rome, urging the Ministers of Agriculture, Health, and Made in Italy to take immediate action and enforce the ban on the mass killing of male chicks, a law passed in 2022.

05/03/2025

The video message, broadcast on the face of the Colosseum – one of the world’s most symbolic landmarks – called on Ministers Francesco Lollobrigida, Orazio Schillaci, and Adolfo Urso to introduce the necessary measures to stop the slaughter of 34-36 million male chicks each year within the Italian egg industry.

Why are male chicks killed in the egg industry?

The egg industry breeds chickens for the purpose of egg production. However, because only female chickens lay eggs, the industry considers male chicks worthless – and thus they are discarded. Each year, between 34-36 million male chicks are killed within their first 24 hours of life in Italy. These chicks are either gassed or ground up alive, without being stunned, all because they do not produce eggs.

This practice is not unique to Italy; it occurs worldwide, including in the UK. Every year, millions of male chicks are born across the world, only to be met with painful deaths within hours of birth.

The Italian Government’s silence is costing millions of lives

In 2022, the Italian Parliament passed a landmark law that prohibits the killing of male chicks by 2026, following lobbying from Animal Equality. This was a victory, celebrated by Animal Equality and tens of thousands of animal lovers who supported us. However, the country’s Government has failed to enact the required measures to implement this ban, despite a deadline of 7th April 2024. As a result, the promised ban on the killing of male chicks by 2026 is now in jeopardy, letting down the public and thousands of male chicks killed every single day.

Among these essential measures still missing is the introduction of ovo-sexing technologies – a method that can identify the sex of embryos before they hatch, preventing the slaughter of male chicks. This technology would help companies avoid the unnecessary killing of male chicks, yet the Italian Government has allocated no funds to support its widespread adoption.

stop male chick culling projection onto the Colosseum

Our Italian team has worked tirelessly to hold those in power accountable. Despite their efforts, they have been met with silence.

Nevertheless, the team remains more determined than ever. Their latest bold action at the Colosseum garnered significant media attention, with coverage from Corriere.it – one of Italy’s leading news outlets – as well as various online platforms and radio stations. A special interview also aired on Rai News24, Italy’s prominent national news channel, during the influential ‘Basta la Salute’ segment.

This widespread media coverage is crucial in sparking national conversation. Across Italy, people will now be forced to confront the cruelty behind egg consumption – a cruel practice that, with the availability of plant-based alternatives like scrambled tofu, is completely unnecessary.

A global enforcement problem

Laws are just the beginning. Even when laws are passed, getting them practically implemented and then enforced is an uphill battle. Animal Equality remains hopeful that the ban on male chick killing will take effect by 2026 as promised. However, undercover investigations have exposed widespread illegal actions, even in the face of new laws. In Italy, we’ve repeatedly documented illegal cruelty; from workers hitting animals to animals being left in filth, surrounded by decaying corpses. In the UK, similar illegal cruelty exists – and it’s no surprise.

As highlighted in our UK Enforcement Problem Report, co-authored with The Animal Law Foundation, on average, fewer than 3% of the country’s 290,000 farms are inspected each year. Only half of complaints result in inspections, and a shocking 0.33% lead to prosecution. Without proper oversight, even the strongest laws won’t protect animals on the ground.

That’s why we’re pushing for a government-run farm licensing system, tougher penalties for animal abuse, and greater transparency to ensure stronger scrutiny and accountability on farms. And why we’re urging the Government to direct subsidies to a just transition away from animal farming entirely.

The UK has the potential to lead the way on this issue. If we succeed in securing these amendments, it could spark a global movement, inspiring countries like Italy and around the world to follow suit. But we need your support to make this happen.

Over an 11 year period, Animal Equality UK has investigated 50 farms and slaughterhouses, finding prolonged animal suffering, deliberate abuse or neglect, and/or illegality taking place every single time. Animal Equality’s evidentiary footage, spanning over a decade, is a growing indictment of this failing industry.

The Government must work with Animal Equality to put in place critical changes to the legal framework, including the following:

Implement a licensing system for farms;
Breaches of licences will result in non renewal and prosecution;
Inspections required for licence renewal which will be at least every 1-3 years, depending on the farm’s size;
Those inspections must be robust and occasionally unannounced;
Appropriate penalties for all farms found not complying with their licences and the law.

Laws are broken time and time again. On every pig farm Animal Equality UK has ever visited pigs have been routinely tail-docked; over a six year period we visited four dairy farms and on each we found severe animal suffering and illegality; and in a sheep slaughterhouse we discovered a Food Standards Agency inspector giving their nod of approval for clear non-compliance. Our investigators have looked into facilities accredited by Red Tractor, Quality Meat Scotland, Best Aquaculture Practices, The Soil Association and more, documenting illegality across the board.

This doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. With over 300,000 facilities in the UK, it is not possible for Animal Equality to visit every single facility. How many animals will suffer the same cruelty behind closed doors?

The public puts its faith in accreditation schemes, awards and Government and local authorities, but consumers are being conned.

Public body inspections are few and far between. With fewer than 3% of farms being inspected each year, crimes to farmed animals are rarely detected.

Non-compliance is rife. Where inspections do occur, 31% identify non-compliance with animal welfare regulations and inspectors directly observe animals suffering ‘unnecessarily’ in one in 30 visits to uncertified farms.

Consequences are all but non-existent. When wrongdoing is detected it is too often left to the charities to apply the necessary pressure and ensure action is taken. Between 2017-2019 there were 80 convictions of cruelty to farmed animals under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, compared to 2,662 for dogs. Considering that over one billion animals are farmed and slaughtered each year in the UK, this number of convictions is extremely low. This lack of action is failing to disincentivise legal violations on farms.

The Government and local authorities must end their overreliance on charities, take ownership, and hold animal abusers accountable for their actions. The current regulatory framework is a wholly inadequate safeguard to ensure legal compliance. It is simply not fit for purpose. Already vulnerable farmed animals are being left at the whims of an industry that wants only to commoditise them.

We, the undersigned, are calling for improved monitoring and enforcement of existing animal welfare laws and for increased legal protections to be put in place for farmed land and aquatic animals.

Demand the Government holds animal abusers accountable – SIGN NOW!

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