[Helencus]

Hi, is there any legislation I need to be aware of and comply with if I want to sell eggs at my gate?

[harry]

no.... only if you sell to a shop , cafe etc... you can only sell to the end user, ie the buyer at your gate, its their problem not yours if they run a cafe etc.

[Helencus]

thanks Harry, what if one of said end users complains I gave them food poisoning? my hens have all been vaccinated and as it happens recently tested for salmonella etc. but do you insure against such occurences?

[harry]

anybody could claim that about a lot of food, it would be there job to prove everything you would have to proof nothing, it would almost be impossible for them to prove anything unless they paid to have you eggs tested, they would also have to prove that the eggs in question came from you, how would they do that, they would also have to prove they had good hygiene/ cooking habits etc. Keep good hygiene what could go wrong, i dont even wash my eggs if muddy this time of year as that can cause problems, leave them dirty, thats what free range eggs are. i would guess its buyer beware, if you buy from a private individual you have almost no rights, not like buying from a shop.

[northfifeduckling]

I only sell the freshest on and keep the older ones for ourselves. With duck eggs in theory you have to tell people that they have to cook them through because they might contain germs (different shell from hens' eggs).  I always write on the box when they were laid.  you've vaccinated your hens against salmonella? Does everybody else do that? Never occurred to me as long as I keep their place clean...

[Helencus]

Thanks, mine are ex-bats and I think that's why they were vaccinated.. well so I was told they were.. I'm trying to find out about vaccinating hens.. does anyone on here bother? no replies to my question re this.

[juliag]

My exbats are all vaccinated but only because they were done already. my other hens are not vaccinated. I have read somewhere that you are not supposed to wash the eggs but I do give mine a wipe over if they are very muddy. My eggs sell within 48 hours of being laid, I always write the date they were laid on onto the box.   

[Helencus]

thanks Juliag, I don't wash mine either but largely cause I can't be arsed.. good to know theres a sound reason for my laziness 

[northfifeduckling]

I only wash most of the duck eggs, as they are messy birds. If you are concerned about grading I think washing hens' eggs puts them one down...(Paul will know)  

[Daisys Mum]

If you have a sign advertising your eggs you can't put free range eggs on it, even if they are.

[shetlandpaul]

you can imply that they are free range. but to call them freerange you would need approval.  get approved as a production unit and while your at it get a packing number.

if you wash the eggs they then become class 2. which you can't sell for human consumption.  which is a shame  ut they are the rules.

[dixie]

If you have less than 50 birds then you can sell at the gate with no restrictions!

[Helencus]

i only currently have 16 so that's good news.. thanks

[Roxy]

I have been selling eggs at the gate for years - just leave an honesty  box by the box of eggs.  Had a few eggs or the money go missing, but on the whole people are very honest.

I have probably 60 layers including ex batts.  Ex batts are vaccinated, others may be, but I certainly did not have them done.

As I see it, you can sell at the gate, but not to shops, or at a boot sale or farmers market.  For this you would have to be DEFRA registered, and have a packing station, with grading etc.

You are only meant to use an egg box once.  But its ok for people to bring their egg box to you as many times as they wish it seems.  But my egg boxes are re used and people bring them back.  They have all said they cannot see the point in wasting good boxes and they are right.

At this time of year, I do wipe the eggs over to get the worst of the mud off. My hens are free range, and do transfer mud to the eggs.  I think some people may be put off if they saw a really mud egg, and would fear it was not fit to eat, which it is of course.  I keep the really muddy ones for us!!

The egg box itself, must have on the front, your name and address, a note to tell the customer to keep refrigerated (but you don't put them in the fridge at your end, which may seem strange, when you consider you are telling the customer to do it!_)  and either a date when the eggs were laid, or a best before date.  I put a best before date, and usually its three weeks from the day the eggs were laid.  I am pretty certain a proper free range egg can go nearly 4 weeks and be ok.  Anyway, whats laid here today will be sold by tomorrow, so they are fresh enough I think.

Do not bother with different sizes, just sell mixed boxes for a set amount.  Mine are £2 per dozen, but i could get more if I put the price up.

As to giving people food poisoning, I have only once had one lady complain that an egg was "off".  Cannot see it was, but customer is always right, and she happily went away with 6 free eggs.  The likelyhood of you selling a dodgy egg is remote......we cannot see inside an egg, and yes, things do go wrong, but cannot see you can be negligent as the poisoning could be caused by the customers cooking or something.  I would not worry about it. 

I am doing well with my egg sales, and people come back week after week.  Just have a problem in winter, when they cannot understand the hens stop laying!!

As to having signs saying free range.  My sign says they are.  I cannot say organic though, because of the fact their feed cannot be traced to an organic farm.

I know people get round this by saying fresh farm eggs, although some are defintely not free range as I have seen how they are kept.  And  that is wrong to say they are free range in these circumstances.+++++

[Helencus]

thanks Roxy very helpful