Since late 2022, the CNPO (Comité National pour la Promotion de l’Œuf), the French egg interprofessional organisation, has been providing financial support for the implementation of in-ovo sexing on laying hen farms to avoid the culling of male chicks at hatch. Until now, the funding for this system — which represents approximately €40 million in additional annual costs for the sector — was based on a levy collected on shell egg sales across all distribution channels.
On Friday, 3 October 2025, the members of the CNPO Board of Directors voted unanimously to bring forward the end of this interprofessional agreement, which had been due to run until September 2026, with the aim of simplifying the funding system, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the initiative, and safeguarding the financial balance of the interprofessional fund.
From 1 December 2025, hatcheries will be able to incorporate the cost of in-ovo sexing directly into the production costs of the chicks delivered to growers.
This cost may then be passed on freely at each link in the supply chain, through to the end consumer, whether for shell eggs or egg products, thereby encompassing the three main markets of the sector:
1) retail distribution,
2) food service and catering, and
3) food processing companies. To help sector operators manage this increase in production costs, ITAVI will develop a new Egalim indicator for chick production costs.
For Yves-Marie Beaudet, President of the CNPO: “This is a responsible and courageous decision by all members of the sector, which I welcome, and which will simplify the system while ensuring the sustainability of an initiative in favour of animal welfare, in line with the expectations of our consumers. This new funding model replaces a complex system whose financial balance was not guaranteed and which was placing the sector and its commitments at risk. I would recall that, to date, France is one of the few countries in Europe to have legislated to end the culling of male chicks. Our sector leads the way on animal welfare: a pioneer in the implementation of in-ovo sexing, it continues its voluntary transition towards cage-free production systems. In its Plan 2030, the sector aims to achieve 90% of hens in alternative systems (barn, free-range, Label Rouge and organic). Currently, nearly 75% of hens in France are housed in cage-free systems, well above the European average of 39%”.
For further information:
-. In-Ovo Sexing