What are the laws/regulations for selling table eggs (for consumption) in your state/country?

[sumi]

A lot of us sometimes have a few extra eggs or want to recoup a bit of the money we spend on feeding our flocks. Selling eggs is good way to bring in a few extra $$ (or €€ in my case). For those who are interested in doing this, let's see if we can get a list of states/countries with their local laws and regulations together, for reference. Please respond with your state/country and the local regulations where you live, for selling eggs to the public for consumption.

**If egg sales from small or backyard flocks are prohibited in your sate/country, please reply and state that.

I'll start with the regulations for

The Republic of Ireland:

The following is considered good practice if you are producing small quantities and the EU hygiene legislation does not apply:

• In order to produce clean eggs, nest boxes should be provided. Litter in the nestbox and on the floor of the building should be kept clean and regularly renewed
• Clean drinking water should be provided with drinkers placed over a drainage area to prevent spoilage of litter.
• Washing of eggs is not allowed. Washing of eggs can damage the invisible natural protective coating on the egg
  shell which may in-turn increase the risk of penetration of the egg by Salmonella bacteria.
  The owner or person in charge of poultry shall maintain on a daily basis, in accordance with the diseases of
  animals legislation, a record of:
• All mortalities that occur in the flock or on the premises
• The daily production of eggs in the flock, and
• The intake of food and water by the flock

If you have up to 50 hens and are selling directly at a farmers market:

• You are not required to mark your eggs as long as you provide other information, such as your name and address, at the point of sale, e.g. on a sign beside where the eggs are for sale


If you sell to a shop or restaurant, regardless of the number of hens or quantity of eggs supplied.

• You must apply to DAFF Meat Policy Division, Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 (Ph 01-6072000) for registration as an egg producer. You will receive an application form which must be completed and returned to DAFF. You will then be subject to an inspection which will determine whether you will be registered and receive a producer code
• Your eggs must be graded, marked with the unique producer code, packed in a registered egg packing centre, and be in full compliance with eggs marketing standards regulations and other regulations as detailed following

More information at: https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/medi...llingandhygieneguidelinesforheneggs140111.pdf

 

[KC Rob]

Missouri - United States of America

In MO you may sell eggs from your flock directly from your property with no license or regulations. If you sell your eggs off your property, like at a road side stand or at a farmers market you will need a "Limited Retailer Egg License" which can be obtained for $5 dollars from the Department of Agriculture and is good from July 1st to June 30th of the following year. If you buy your license after July 1st it still expires on June 30th so for example if you buy your license in January you will only get 6 months before you have to renew.

• Eggs must be in cartons marked with your name, phone number, grade, size, date of grading and license number.
• Eggs must be maintained at 45 degrees or less, so to sell at an offsite location you will need a cooler.
• Egg cartons can be reused as long as they are clean and properly marked by the seller.

I will say that in my experience, there is little or no oversight of limited retailers, I have never seen an inspector at a farmers market checking licenses or verifying egg grades, etc. Most if not all farmers markets do require that egg sellers be licensed though.

More info: http://agriculture.mo.gov/weights/device/pdf/eggrequirementsforfm.pdf
http://agriculture.mo.gov/weights/device/egglic.php

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

The rules for here in the UK are pretty similar to Ireland. If you have 50 chickens you have to register your flock regardless if you sell your surplus eggs or not.
More info can be found here ~ https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eggs-trade-regulations

Under 50 chickens and you don't have to register and you can sell your eggs as "Garden gate" sales. One thing you do have to be careful of is how you advertise your eggs for sale. For example you can't claim your eggs are free range and or organic unless you have been tested for this and have certification.

A few points here from my research on this as I have just recently started selling my surplus eggs ~

*Selling eggs*

You do not need to register with anyone to sell surplus eggs, provided you don't grade them into sizes or describe them as free-range or organic (unless you are certified organic).

*Commercial selling of eggs*

If you sell eggs to someone who is going to sell them on, for example a shopkeeper, you must be registered with the Egg Marketing Inspectorate (England and Wales) or the Scottish Government Eggs and Poultry Unit. See their sites for lots of information about the regulations governing the selling of eggs.

*Preparing eggs for sale*

The shells of eggs are porous, but the last stage of production is the “bloom”, a damp layer that, when dry, allows the egg to breathe but stops bacteria getting into it. If you remove this, or if the shell is cracked, it makes the egg more vulnerable to bacterial infection.

If you are selling eggs, you should not wash them – most customers buying at the farm gate don’t mind a wee bit mud or a feather or two. You should not sell damaged eggs – keep them for yourself and use within a couple of days of laying.

Collect eggs regularly – at least once a day – and keep the nest boxes clean either by excluding the birds at night or by removing any soiled bedding in the morning. If you do have to wash eggs, for example before incubation, use hot water and an egg sanitizer.

*Egg boxes*

Your eggs should be sold in clean, undamaged egg boxes. Although you can re-use supermarket egg boxes, most sellers prefer to buy plain, unmarked cardboard egg boxes, and some will apply a sticker or other mark with their contact details to encourage repeat business.
Presentation is important when selling eggs.


*Best before*

You need to display a “best before” date; since eggs should be expected to last four weeks after laying and you will be selling them soon after they are laid, a sign saying “Best before three weeks from purchase date” will keep you legal.

 

[carlf]

I'm not sure, but I dont think we have any regs here in ALabama for small flock owners selling eggs. I will look into it!

 

[carlf]

Alabama, USA:

Selling from home or farm: No regulations.
Selling off premise, such as a farmers market, regulated:

http://fma.alabama.gov/PDFs_NEW/Shell_Eggs.pdf

 

[SueT]

Since we plan to move to Oregon, here is what I found from Oregon.gov (https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/FoodSafety/FSLicensing/Pages/Eggs.aspx)

 

[BantamFan4Life]

In Washington State, you must have an egg handler's license to legally sell eggs. Here's a link to the info: http://bls.dor.wa.gov/eggdealer.aspx

 

[N F C]

It was a bit tough to find egg selling regulations for backyard poultry keepers here in WY, most of the material I found had to do with large scale poultry businesses, but this is what I found for selling eggs at a farmer's market:

* Eggs cannot be sold in reused egg cartons
* The cartons must be labeled with what is in them (example: fresh chicken eggs)
* The carton labels must also include your name and address
* The eggs must be kept below 41* but above freezing

 

[TwoCrows]

New Mexico laws on egg sales:


http://farmersmarketsnm.org/resources/vendor-resources/permits-regulations/


Eggs

Ungraded Eggs

There are no licenses required for selling ungraded eggs in New Mexico farmers’ markets, but ungraded egg vendors are required to register with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. This registration is free of charge and can be done here through NMDA’s website
Graded Eggs

To sell graded eggs, vendors must obtain an egg dealer license based on their production size. Licenses range in price from $10 to $50. The application is available here. For questions regarding selling eggs, contact Raymond Johnson with NMDA Standards & Consumer Services at 575-646-1616 or by email.
For Albuquerque market vendors: Food vendors at Albuquerque growers’ markets are required to have a permit from the City’s Environmental Health Department. The cost of the permit for selling raw produce and/or pure, raw honey is $15.00. The cost of the permit for selling processed foods and/or eggs, meat, or seafood is $50.00. Vendors pay only one permit fee and need only one permit to sell at all member markets in the City of Albuquerque. Once you have been accepted as a vendor at an Albuquerque growers’ market, your manager will provide an application for the Growers’ Market Permit.

http://164.64.110.239/nmac/cgi-bin/...tle21/21.034.0008.htm;geturl;terms=shell||egg

GRADES AND STANDARDS FOR SHELL EGGS SOLD IN NEW MEXICO:
A. All eggs sold or offered for sale under 25-6-5, NMSA 1978, shall be graded and properly labeled as to size and standards of quality.
B. All sizes and standards shall conform with United States department of agriculture standards for consumer grades of shell eggs, excepting those sold as ungraded. Ungraded eggs shall be conspicuously labeled as "ungraded eggs," and shall conform with the provisions pertaining thereto set forth in 25-6-7, NMSA 1978.
[7/1/97; 21.34.8.9 NMAC - Rn, 21 NMAC 34.8.9, 05/29/09]

EGG INSPECTION FEE:
A. The inspection fee on eggs sold in New Mexico to the retailer or to the consumer shall be twelve cents (.12) per case of thirty (30) dozen.
B. The fee shall be paid by the egg dealer or producer who packages the eggs for sale to the retailer or consumer.
[7/1/97; 21.34.7.9 NMAC - Rn, 21 NMAC 34.7.9, 05/29/09]

 

[Faraday40]

In Illinois: (green text is the official wording from state)

1. Selling a few extra eggs from your house - no real regulation. This is only for small flocks. (small is relative & can mean 150 chickens. As shown below in the limited licence rules, small can also mean a flock of less than 3,000.)

If you are an egg producer, you may sell nest-run eggs from your own flock to household consumers. However, these sales are limited to direct sales to household consumers for their own personal use, and must be sold on the premises where the flock is located. This type of shell egg sale does not require an Illinois Egg License. Producer egg sales to licensed grading stations also do not require an egg license.

*Many people do this via Craigslist ads or little road signs to get a small customer base. The idea is that the customer can look over the fence to see the flock for themselves before buying. Must report the income for taxes, of course.

2. If you want to sell at a roadside stand, farmers market, deliver to restaurants, etc, you must obtain a limited egg licence from the state. Before doing anything you must have what a licensed egg-grading station must have.


If you are an egg producer, and you wish to sell eggs from your own flock off the premises where the flock is located, you are required to obtain an Illinois Egg License. A Limited Producer-Dealer egg license is required for producers selling graded eggs produced by their own flock of fewer than 3000 birds. Wholesale and retail sales of eggs must meet all requirements found in the Illinois Egg & Egg Products Act.
A licensed egg-grading station must have:

1. Candling light.
2. A scale for weighing your eggs.
3. New cartons for selling off the farm or to retail establishments.
4. Refrigeration- 45 degrees F or less with storage and transport.
5. USDA/FDA approved - Cleaner/Sanitizer. Wash water needs to be 90 degrees F minimum.
6. Egg producers are encouraged to check with their local health department or farmer's market manager regarding any other requirements

3. if you want to get a full egg producer licence, then you're probably already in the egg biz.