Israeli researchers develop gene-edited hens that could end male chicken slaughter

Dr Cinnamon added that female chicks are not affected by the blue light, and that no DNA is added to either the hens or the eggs that they lay.

"Farmers will get the same chicks they get today and consumers will get exactly the same eggs they get today. The only minor difference in the production process is that the eggs will be exposed to blue light."

The research has not been peer-reviewed because the researchers intend to license the technology. However, UK-based animal welfare organisation Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) visited the firm, followed the research as it was conducted, and has said that it could be a "really important development" for animal welfare.

CIWF's chief policy advisor Peter Stephenson told BBC News: "Normally I am very wary of using gene editing of farm animals. But this is an exceptional case and I, and my colleagues at CIWF are supportive of it.

"The next important step is to see whether the hen and the female chicks she produces, who will lay eggs for human consumption, can go through a commercial lifespan without any unexpected welfare issues arising."

The charity estimates that approximately seven billion male chicks are killed each year as they are of no commercial value to the egg-production industry. The process is also lengthy due to the need to manually sort male from female chicks by hand.

The practice was outlawed in Germany at the beginning of the year, and France is also exploring similar proposals. Concerns about the practice span the EU, but the UK government has yet to express a position.