Which came first: the hen or the egg? The famous hen-and-egg problem was already described by the philosophers of antiquity, and it is still used today by logicians, rhetoricians and sometimes also politicians who are lazy to solve problems when it is allegedly unclear what came first, what is the cause and what is the consequence.
However, New Zealand is currently confronted with a chicken-and-egg problem in which at least this question of causality seems to have been clearly clarified. First there was the ban on laying hens in battery cages, which the legislature had been working on for ten years and which has been in effect since January 1, 2023. And then there was a shortage of eggs across the country. Prices are rising, bakers are complaining, supermarkets are asking their customers to please only buy as many eggs as they really need.
This problem, which a certain Eggspert named Oliver Kahn clairvoyantly described 20 years ago with “Eggs, we need eggs”, apparently brought some New Zealanders back to the chicken-and-egg metaphor. If I can’t buy eggs, they apparently thought, then I’ll just buy myself a chicken. That’s why New Zealand animal rights activists now feel compelled to appeal to the egg-loving people: “Please don’t buy chickens”, quotes the Guardians SPCA executive director Gabby Clezy, “unless you can take care of it long-term.”
The organization took in 370 chickens last year. Many of them were handed over by overwhelmed hobby chicken keepers, abandoned or confiscated for animal welfare reasons. “These are fun pets,” the animal rights activist continued, “don’t buy them as egg producers.”
Because, this is also a proven causality: chickens not only make eggs, but also dirt and a lot of work.
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