In a major Australian animal welfare advancement, new in-ovo sexing technology that identifies the sex of chicks before they hatch will reduce the practice of culling male day-old chicks in layer hatcheries.

Specialised Breeders Australia has partnered with Germany-based Agri Advanced Technologies to bring the “Cheggy” software to Australia.

SBA chief executive Eugene Viljoen said it would be available to egg producers from June.

The software uses light sensors to “see” feather colour through the shell, unlike some other methods that require a tiny hole to be drilled in the egg, so there’s no risk of contamination or injury to the chick.

Mr Viljoen said the technology would be available to all egg producers nationally.

It is already used across Europe, the US and Brazil, where it has been adopted to reduce the practice of culling male day-old chicks. Cheggy has 28 per cent market penetration across the European Union, where countries have tightened regulations around chick culling.

Mr Viljoen said egg producers would be able to offer table eggs produced in a more humane way.

“Consumers can buy eggs from egg producers that select this treatment,” he said.

“Over the past two years, we have seen a clear increase in interest and requests for this technology, not only from our customers, but also from government bodies and NGOs.”

Egg Farmers of Australia chief executive Melinda Hashimoto welcomed the new tech, which she said was an important step forward in animal welfare.

”In-ovo sexing will play an important role in supporting a sustainable and responsible egg supply chain,” she said.

“It also reflects our industry’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, innovation and response to evolving community expectations.”

Margaret Orr is the co-owner of Perth Dayold Distributors. She said SBA, as her supplier, had already installed the first Cheggy machine at their Victorian hatchery and she had started marketing “humanely hatched” chicks.

Mrs Orr said she expected WA producers to get on board in response to consumer demand. While there was a small premium for those chicks, it only added a few cents per dozen eggs when the cost was spread over the thousands of eggs a hen could lay in her lifetime.

“WA farmers have always been progressive and care deeply about their birds . . . People are increasingly looking for transparency and ethical choices in the food they buy,” she said.

“Offering eggs from humanely hatched hens is a great way for a farmer to stand out.

“It’s a small price to pay for a huge leap forward in animal welfare.”

In a statement, RSPCA Australia said it welcomed advancements like this that supported improved animal welfare outcomes and hoped to see wider use across the Australian industry.