The change did not come as a surprise: the New Zealand government had already passed the ban in 2012, and by December 2022 the proportion of hens kept in battery cages had fallen from 86 to ten percent. And yet New Zealand’s egg producers are now facing serious problems – just two weeks after the ban came into force, the egg shelves in many supermarkets are empty, reports the Guardian.
To meet the demand for eggs, they would need hundreds of thousands of extra hens, according to New Zealand producers. According to the Stats New Zealand Food Price Index, prices for a pack rose to 5.93 New Zealand dollars (3.51 euros) in November 2022 as a result of the shortage, which corresponds to an increase of 16 percent compared to November 2021 – in October the prices were flat even higher at NZ$6.28 per pack.
Last year, New Zealand’s egg production was just over 1.1 billion — the lowest level of egg production since 2016, according to New Zealand website Infometrics. It would take months to get a grip on the ‘chicken and egg dilemma’ and ensure enough new laying chickens, the Guardian said.
Searches for chickens have increased dramatically
The New Zealanders apparently did not hesitate for long because of the empty shelves and decided to become active themselves. For example, New Zealand’s largest online auction and classifieds site for chickens and “chicken-related items” has had 23,800 hits in the last seven days. That’s a 77 percent increase from the previous week, said James Ryan, spokesman for Trade Me, according to the Guardian.
Animal protection organizations were concerned about the increasing demand for chickens. “I understand it seems like a good idea, but please only get a chicken if you can take care of it long-term,” said SPCA executive director Gabby Clezy. You don’t want to “see more abandoned chickens”.
They’re “funny pets,” Clezy said. But: “Don’t buy them as egg producers.” In 2022, the animal welfare organization saved 370 live chickens that were abandoned or given up. There have always been times in the past when keeping chickens was a trend, followed by phases in which the animals were given away in large numbers.
Long lifespan, short egg-laying phase
Most prospective hobby breeders are not aware that the birds have a comparatively long lifespan of ten years, only start laying after a few months and only produce eggs in their first three years of life, says Clezy. Chickens are also extremely sociable and would feel most comfortable in a flock of at least three other animals.
They also need a clean barn, sufficient space, regular care from veterinarians and high-quality feed and water. Regulations and permits from local authorities, which would differ within New Zealand, must also be observed, according to the animal welfare organization. According to Clezy, the lack of eggs is only a temporary situation. “We’ll get through this.”
Cage farming in the EU
Battery cages have been banned in the EU since 2012. However, “decorated cages” are still allowed: Each chicken has 750 square centimeters of space here, there must be “laying nests”, “perches” and a “scratching area”.
Egg supply as a topic of dispute
In the last few months before the ban on battery cages, the long-standing dispute over the country’s egg supply had come to a head, reports the Guardian. Although the ban had been planned since 2012, egg producers had warned of shortages several times in advance.
While major New Zealand supermarkets voluntarily pledged to stop selling battery cage eggs by 2027, some animal rights activists opposed the new measures because they felt the changes didn’t go far enough. In New Zealand, for example, cages housing around 60 chickens are still permitted. In the EU, cage farming is to be completely banned by 2027.
