News

Markus Vahlefeld from Kontrafunk in conversation with Carmen Uphoff about Easter and chick shredding, the two sides of the coin 

Easter and chick shredding, the two sides of the coin Podcast by Kontrafunk

Easter without eggs? That’s like Christmas without a Christmas tree! Discover the diverse world of Easter egg dishes with journalist Georg Etscheit in the Kontrafunk podcast. Let’s also take a look behind the scenes: Markus Vahlefeld sheds light on chick shredding in fresh egg production. Find out more in the fascinating interview with Carmen Uphoff, COO of Respeggt. A must-hear for anyone who wants to discover both sides of the coin!

HatchTech selected as US Egg-Tech Prize Finalist

Press release on the winner of Egg-Tech Prize II

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Open Philanthropy started the Egg-Tech Prize competition to avoid the culling of day-old chicks by using accurate and rapid sexing technologies in the early incubation period. 

HatchTech is selected as an Egg-Tech Prize Phase II finalist, which includes a major award to be used for further research and development in state-of-the-art sexing techniques in hatching eggs. Respeggt is a member of HatchTech Group and will benefit from new research to improve its in-ovo sexing technology.

Hatchery A.C. Weiss installs Respeggt technology

Press release on the cooperation with hatchery A.C. Weiss GmbH & Co.KG

In this press release we inform you about our new cooperation with hatchery A.C. Weiss in Germany. We are very pleased that A.C. Weiss, a family-run hatchery in South Germany, has decided to purchase a Respeggt set in order to be able to offer chicks “Free of Chick Culling” for the German, Swiss, Austrian and Italian market.

Press release on the cooperation with LOHMANN Deutschland

In this press release we inform you about our expanded cooperation with LOHMANN Deutschland. We are very pleased that LOHMANN has decided to purchase another Respeggt system for the Ankum location and thus expand its in-ovo sexing capacities with Respeggt.

 

Change of German legislation

The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) modified the existing legal regulation regarding the culling of chicks in Germany. Up from the 1st of January 2024 in-ovo sexing can be performed until day 12 of the incubation process. The latest research done by the Technical University of Munich on how chicken embryos feel pain has been recognized. The legal framework for the legislation on chick culling in Germany now provides planning protection for the egg industry.

Closing of Zeewolde hatchery

This week the last in-ovo sexing of our team took place at the hatchery Verbeek in Zeewolde, the Netherlands. The hatchery will be closed due to the location having a very high incidence of avian influenza.

We would like to thank our local team for their hard work and enthusiasm and look forward to continuing to work with them at other sites. We also want to thank the team of Verbeek for being one of the leaders in in-ovo sexing in the Netherlands and for trusting in our technology as one of the first hatcheries in 2021.

Steinsland & Co and respeggt start cooperation in Norway

We are pleased to inform you in this press release about our cooperation with the Norwegian hatchery Steinsland & Co in Bryne, Norway.
Steinsland & Co is now the first Scandinavian hatchery to install in-ovo sexing technology. Find our press release below. 

New respeggt System Manual online

We would like to inform you about the update of our respeggt System Manual. Changed conditions as well as internal changes have required minor adjustments in our requirements. We hope that with this System Manual we can continue to offer an up-to-date and reliable solution to end chick culling. You can find the new System Manual on our website or you can download it right here.

Arme Brüder – Article in DER SPIEGEL

In the German weekly magazine DER SPIEGEL issue no. 7 published on 11 February 2023, author Julia Koch took an up-to-date look at the ban on chick culling in Germany, explained current procedures of gender identification in the hatching egg and pointed out the changes in the poultry market that can be observed in Germany and Europe as a result of the law.

Duits dilemma rondom eendagshaantjes – Article in NIEUWE OOGST

In the online edition of the magazine NIEUWE OOGS, John Lamers has outlined Germany’s difficult situation in phasing out chick-culling with regard to the tightening of the law as of 2024 and has spoken to our colleagues at EuroTier 2022 about this.

In the article, the currently discussed scenarios and alternatives are examined against the backdrop of economic efficiency and sustainability. The author also points to the possible re-evaluation of the existing Animal Welfare Act in 2023, based on potential new scientific findings on the pain perception of the chicken embryo in the hatching egg.

EuroTier 2022 in Hanover

From 15.11.2022 to 18.11.2022, respeggt participated at EuroTier 2022 and presented its key products and services at their own booth.

With an interactive 3D model of the latest SELEGGT Circuit, SELEGGT Lab and SELEGGT Sorter as well as the respeggt supply chain, visitors of the trade fair could vividly experience the gender identification in the hatching egg with the SELEGGT method and the respeggt supply chain verification with the respeggt heart shaped logo.

Support in case of avian influenza

We would like to update you on the latest change in the respeggt system regarding the handling of avian influenza.

Ceres Award 2022 – Presentation of the Award at the Night of Agriculture in Berlin

On 12 October, the Ceres Award 2022 was presented in a festive gala evening at the Zoo Palast in Berlin. This year, the award in the main category “Farmer of the Year 2022”, endowed with 20,000 euros, goes to Benedikt Bösel, who convinced the jury with his innovative and forward-looking farm concept in Brandenburg, Germany. As category sponsor, we are also particularly pleased about the winner of the category “Poultry farmer of the year 2022”, Holger Hogt, who also keeps respeggt hens on his laying hen farm. Congratulations to all winners and all the best for the future!

Solutions and Implementation of Ending Chick Culling in Germany – aviNews

Our colleague Dr. Ana E. Blanco, Head of Supply Chain Management at respeggt reports in a technical article in aviNews magazine about solutions and implementation of ending chick culling in Germany.

Change of shareholders at respeggt

We are pleased to inform you that as of today HatchTech Group will take over REWE Group’s 50% share in SELEGGT GmbH and respeggt GmbH. As a result, HatchTech will become the sole shareholder of both companies.

This agreement will enable SELEGGT and respeggt to accelerate their international growth by taking advantage of HatchTech’s global network.

geflügelnews.de visits LOHMANN Deutschland in Ankum

In a dialogue interview, Tobias Ferling, Managing Director of LOHMANN Deutschland GmbH and Dr Ludger Breloh, Managing Director of respeggt GmbH talk about the new cooperation between the two companies, about sustainability, the challenges of Germany as a business location and about the possibilities of applying the SELEGGT process in the organic sector.

Hatching of the first respeggt chicks determined in Germany!

After only a four-week installation phase at LOHMANN Deutschland’s hatchery in Ankum, the first 60,000 hatching eggs were successfully sexed with the SELEGGT circuit.

The resulting female chicks will lay respeggt eggs after rearing.

UK retailers blocking moves to end the killing of day-old male chicks – The Guardian article on respeggt and SELEGGT

The Guardian Aktikel by Tom Ambrose about the legal ban on chick culling in UK und Europe

In a detailed The Guardian online article, Tom Ambrose reports on the issue of chick culling in the EU, the solutions available in France and Germany, and the political challenges of the issue in the UK.

HatchTech Incubation Technology acquires REWE Group’s shares and plans to accelerate SELEGGT’s international growth.

👉Read press release (EN)

Changes in the respeggt business model

We would like to update you on the recent changes in the respeggt system. These changes are the result of market developments, technological advances and respeggt’s constant efforts to keep the risks and barriers to entry as low as possible for all system partners.

Here you can find out about all the changes that will be implemented with immediate effect for all new orders received after 01.08.2022.

Piep? – German DIE ZEIT reports on SELEGGT

DIE ZEIT article by Merlind Theile about the SELEGGT process

In a detailed article for DIE ZEIT, Merlind Theile comprehensively summarized the current state of the ban on chick culling in Germany and Europe and differentiated the challenges on the way to a European solution.

How sex selection technology is transforming the egg industry – Poultry News reports on SELEGGT and respeggt

Poultry News article by Chloe Ryan on gender identification thechnologies in the hatching egg

In the online edition of Poultry News magazine, Chloe Ryan reports on current technologies for in ovo gender identification of hatching eggs describing the SELEGGT process and respeggt’s service. The article was also published in print in Poultry Business magazine.

With the installation of a second SELEGGT Circuit, Verbeek Broederij BV has opted for doubling its in-ovo gender identification capacity via the SELEGGT process. This step shows that we were able to prove our solution.

👉Read press release (EN)

Hähne oder Ei? – FOCUS magazine reports on SELEGGT

FOCUS article by Alina Reichhardt about SELEGGT

In a comprehensive report in the July issue of FOCUS magazine, Alina Reichhardt examined the issue of chick killing, its solutions and the political situation in Germany and Europe and described the different perspectives.

A SELEGGT Circuit will be installed in Germany’s largest laying hen hatchery at LOHMANN Germany in Ankum.

👉Read press release (EN)

The latest version of the SELEGGT Circuit is being presented and demonstrated to the public at the VIV Europe 2022 trade fair in Utrecht in The Netherlands.

Thanks to continuous software improvements and process automation the SELEGGT process has passed the 99% accuracy landmark.

SELEGGT Circulus wins silver medal! Our SELEGGT Circulus technology for gender identification in the hatching egg was awarded a silver medal at the EuroTier 2021 Innovation Awards.

SELEGGT GmbH was awarded with the “Innovation Award” silver medal of the Eurotier 2021 for the “SELEGGT Circulus” technology.

Over 1 million respeggt chicks are already in the supply chains and over 6,000 supermarkets and discount supermarkets in Germany, the Netherlands and France sell respeggt eggs.

Since March 2019 the SELEGGT process has been in use weekly. The eggs of the hatched respeggt hens are marketed as respeggt eggs.

SELEGGT operates its own hatchery and offers the chicks to all interested market participants.

At a joint press conference in Berlin, Minister Klöckner, Dr. Breloh and Mr. Kunath (deputy CEO of REWE Group) announce to put an end to chick culling in Germany and offer the chicks to all interested market participants.

In October 2018, Germany‘s first table eggs with the added value “Free of Chick Culling” due to gender identification in the hatching egg were introduced in the Berlin region. The products bear the official respeggt label.

The first successful tests with the new sampling technology “SELEGGT Acus” were carried out. This process is much faster and can be modularly scaled to any hatchery.

The first prototype of the sampling technology and the marker for hormone analysis were presented together with Minister Schmidt at a press conference.

SELEGGT GmbH was founded as a joint venture in March 2017 with the goal of developing a practice-ready solution for endocrinological gender identification in the hatching egg. Based on the research of the University of Leipzig, a procedure shall be developed which ensures the end of male chick culling in the long term. Three strong partners from research and technical development have joined forces for this purpose: Innovative experts from REWE Group and the Dutch technology company HatchTech B.V. and researchers from the University of Leipzig.