In-Ovo Sexing Quarterly Roundup: Q3 2023
Welcome to the second installment of Innovate Animal Ag’s in-ovo sexing quarterly roundup, where we dive into the latest news for the technology, and what it means for consumers and producers across the globe.
There were a number of important developments for in-ovo sexing technology in the third quarter of 2023, including commercialization milestones, the first survey of US consumer attitudes towards male chick culling, and international policy updates for technologies supported by gene-editing.
Business Round-up
After announcing they would adopt Respeggt’s in-ovo sexing technology last quarter, the system at Norwegian hatchery Steinsland & Co is now fully operational. Norway does not have a ban on chick culling unlike many of the other European countries where in-ovo sexing is being adopted. This natural industry adoption by Steinsland & Co, which supplies two-thirds of the Norwegian layer market, is a positive sign for other countries like the US where adoption is likely to be driven by the market rather than by regulation.
Orbem reports it has scanned over 20M eggs in total using their Genus Focus technology, after adding 12M eggs in this quarter alone. For context, there are around 580M layer eggs produced in the EU each year. Genus Focus, which was developed in collaboration with Vencomatic Group, tracks a number of important egg phenotypes, including sex, fertilization, inner quality, double yolks, and more.
Rockstart, an early-stage VC and accelerator has invested in Omegga, a startup developing a non-invasive approach to in-ovo sexing that can work as early as day 6. Omegga’s technology is built directly inside the incubator itself, and tracks minute differences in the development of male and female eggs over the course of the first days of incubation.
Chilean specialty egg producer Ecoterra signed the first commitment from a Chilean producer to support the use of in-ovo sexing technology when it becomes available in the country. Pablo Albarrán, Founder and CEO, said “We know that the industry has practices that leave animal welfare out of the equation and, therefore, we are sure that promoting good practices starts with us. As we say at Ecoterra, we want everyone to be hungry for change.”
Policy Round-up
Poultry by Huminn announced that both the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator of Australia and the Food Standards Agency of the UK have concluded that table eggs produced from hens that use their in-ovo sexing process are not considered GMO, and do not require any GMO permitting or labeling. With Poultry by Huminn’s technology, male embryos have a genetic marker that allows their development to be stopped, so only females hatch. The female embryos don’t carry this genetic marker, meaning neither they nor the table eggs they lay are genetically modified in any way.
In Portugal, Euroweekly News reports that Portugal’s General Directorate of Food and Veterinary (DGAV), a governmental organization which oversees the egg industry, supports an EU wide ban on male chick culling. The DGAV official who spoke with Euroweekly News noted that “there are methods that could be used, such as egg sexing, which have demonstrated a good level of effectiveness, so their use could constitute a solution, in order to minimize the killing of male day-old chicks.” Portugal also reportedly supported “a transition to the use of egg sexing systems'' at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the EU.
How gene editing can be used to support in-ovo sexing.
New Research
Innovate Animal Ag released survey research showing that consumers are interested in in-ovo sexed eggs and would pay a premium to purchase them. Chris Casey of FoodDive wrote, “There was broad support among respondents to the survey on chicks being culled, with 81.6% saying they would be either extremely, very or somewhat interested in purchasing eggs from a supplier that used in-ovo sexing.” The research was also covered by Fast Company, WATT Poultry, and Food Institute.
A new study published in The Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology examines the constant and significant growth of in-ovo sexing research over the last three decades. It also digs into the science behind all current methods of in-ovo sexing technologies, including those of the five companies that have commercial-scale machines operational in Europe.
Part 1 of a study commissioned by the German government into chicken embryo pain perception was published as a pre-print. It demonstrates that cardiovascular responses to noxious stimuli start between day 16 and 18 of an embryo’s incubation. This is the first of three studies that helped to inform Germany’s chick culling ban, which starts at day 13.
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.
