In-Ovo Sexing Quarterly Roundup: Q2 2023
This is the first installment of Innovate Animal Ag’s in-ovo sexing quarterly roundup. Each quarter, we’ll dive into the biggest trends for the technology, and what it means for consumers and producers across the globe.
The second quarter of 2023 saw a number of important developments for in-ovo sexing, including interest from governments, consumers and companies around the world, and promising research showing important improvements in the technology. Below, we summarize the most notable and important international trends.
International Commitments and Adoption
Norwegian hatchery Steinsland & Co is implementing the technology of leading in-ovo sexing company Respeggt. The hatchery supplies two thirds of the Norwegian layer market, and deemed the technology “effective enough to supply the whole Norwegian market.” Notably, Norway does not have a ban on male chick culling like many of the other European countries where in-ovo sexing is being adopted. This natural industry adoption in Norway is a positive sign for other countries, such as the US, where adoption of the technology is likely to be driven by the market, rather than by regulation.
The Indian state of Maharashtra committed to adopting in-ovo sexing technology once it becomes available in the country. They join a number of other Indian states that have indicated support for the technology, including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
Mexican specialty egg producer Grupo Murlota committed to using in-ovo sexing technology once it becomes available in Mexico. They are the first egg producer in Mexico to make such a commitment, which is an important development for in-ovo sexing technology because Mexico has the highest per-capita egg consumption of any country in the world.
New Research
A new paper from researchers at UC Davis, in collaboration with SensIT ventures, demonstrated in-ovo sexing by using the scent of gasses emitted through the egg shell, called volatile analysis. The researchers were able to non-invasively distinguish male and female embryos at 8 days of incubation with 80% accuracy. While this is less accurate than other commercially available methods, this new research demonstrates that volatile analysis can work earlier than other available non-invasive methods, which work at day 12 or later. SensIT ventures was one of the recipients of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research’s Egg-Tech Prize, being awarded $400,000 in Phase I of the prize to fund this research.
Policy Round-up
Earlier this year, a study conducted by the German government identified day 12 as the target for in-ovo sexing, to ensure that the male embryos are incapable of pain when they are removed from the supply. In late June, the German ban on male chick culling was officially revised according to the results of this study. As of January 1st, 2024, producers in Germany will be prohibited from culling male eggs past day 12 of incubation. It remains to be seen whether related laws in France and Italy, or future European laws, will follow the same logic.
Check out our Overview page for more information on in-ovo sexing. This page will be kept up to date with new developments as soon they occur.
