[AndynJ]

As the heading says, not actually leave the hens up there, they would be to order

Do you think this would put off the egg buying customers ?

We are currently taking about £49 a week off eggs at the gate, cant really have many more
We sold some veg last year, will try and sell some this year (we didn't get off to a good start)
We will be trying to sell shrubs as from next week
We have trees we can sell but thought we may just put a small leaflet up and put them as phone to order

We have probably the best spot for farm gate sales

[chrismahon]

Not something I have done myself AndynJ and I haven't heard of anyone else doing it. You need to check out the regulations on this because you may find it is a real minefield. We have killed cockerels for our own consumption and given the odd one away. They would have to be prepped and stored in accordance with hygiene regulations I think. Doubt a sign saying they are available to order would put people off eggs, but you may be a target of some animal rights nutter who previously hadn't made a connection between the two activities.

[Backinwellies]

No different to selling other meat ... loads of legislation .... I guess you would not be able to slaughter (but this is a guess)   ....
remember over 50 hens has to be registered (with someone!)

[Stereo]

I think you can. It gets complicated if you want to put them in shops etc. But I believe there is a way you can kill (neck dislocation), process and sell your birds locally as long as it doesn't become a huge enterprise. DEFRA should have a rep in your area who can advise on such matters.

It might be something we are looking at some time although I can't see its ever going to pay hugely, especially with our breeds. We did a lot of RIR and Copper Marans cockerels last year for our own food and they were great but not as much meat as a supermarket lump although tastier. I would be interested to see if there was a market for such birds. I reckoned on £5 feed to get them to kill weight and then there is the processing on top which is mainly time so it's not going to be get rich quick I don't think. Processing would have to be got down to a fine art.

[shygirl]

well our near neighbours sell turkeys, geese etc literally at their gate but they have refridgerated stores (like the back of a fridge lorry) i know they get professional dispatchers in too as they sell an awful lot volume wise, but then its mainly at xmas.
im sure you have to be a reg food business if you advertise your meat, as then its not just friends/family.

[AndynJ]

I had looked into legislation prior to post in actual fact it is minimal, farm gate sales or direct to the consumer legislation is minimal for all produce

We have over 50 hens now so we have already registered with AHVLA, we have cph No.

I think there is a market, and yes we would use a meat breed, my concerns were just would they sell I that manner.

[Stereo]

I think if you could demonstrate a high welfare standard then there would be a market. People are starting to care a lot more about how their food is produced I think.

[HesterF]

I reckon they'd go once the word gets around. More people are looking for locally sourced produce. I have a great market for eggs at the school gate.

Have you any small local businesses? We have an independent pub down the road and they've basically said they'll take anything I can produce (not thinking meat though). They are taking the vast majority of the duck eggs at the moment - featuring on the menu in fact. Just thinking it helps increase your market and because they're not selling on, I've not yet had to get into stamping etc.

[Stereo]

I don't think the pub should be serving eggs which are not stamped to be honest. Could be wrong but I think if they are buying eggs to give to customers they should be DEFRA registered. Silly rule but there you go.

[benkt]

My understanding of looking at the regulations was that it was pretty much impossible for us to comply with on-farm preparation and if we sent them away for doing, there would be no margin left in it for us after paying the processing place. I'd be very interested to hear how you get on with DEFRA/Trading Standards and what requirements you have to meet as I'd love to do this too. Definitely a market for it, I think.

Ben

[HesterF]

Selling to the pub is a slightly grey area but I think according to this document, I'm OK:

https://www.gov.uk/eggs-trade-regulations

I'm defra registered because I have over 50 birds (as of last Thursday!) but not for egg selling. According to this paragraph:

'You must also register with EMI as a producer if:
•you have 50 or more hens and any of your eggs are marketed at a local public market
•any of your eggs are marketed to registered packing centres

Note too that if you sell eggs to shops, restaurants or bakeries, you will need to be approved and authorised as a packing centre by EMI in order to be permitted to grade them as Class A eggs.'

I don't sell at a local market nor to registered packing centres so from that perspective I don't have to register. I do sell to a 'restaurant' but I don't grade them as Class A eggs - just as boxes of random duck eggs! On their menu they just appear as duck eggs with no other claims - no free range, rare breed etc. So I think it's OK.

One of the smallholding magazines had a feature a few months ago on the campaign for real eggs (like real ale) with a step by step of what you needed to do to comply with retail legislation. I remember thinking at the time it sounded relatively straight forward but had no need of it then and would come back to it. I've just googled and can't find it (all about real Easter Eggs!) but I'll try and dig it out. I think the gist was just that you had to register with EMI and then stamp the eggs accordingly.

[benkt]

I don't think its a grey area at all - there's no difference between a pub and any other catering establishment - unless perhaps it is your own pub and you only serve the eggs as part of a bed and breakfast - in which case, I agree its pretty unclear.

http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/food/industry/sectors/eggspoultry/faq/eggmarking.htm

"The Food Hygiene Regulations covering the sale of fresh shell eggs require that all eggs used by catering establishments should be properly boxed and labelled Class ‘A’, however there is an exemption for chicken keepers who run small bed and breakfast establishments on the same site as they keep their flock.

This exemption permits small bed and breakfast establishments (three rooms or fewer) who produce their own eggs to serve these ungraded and unmarked eggs direct to their guests.  To ensure that food safety is adequately safeguarded the bed and breakfast should inform individual customers that the eggs are direct from their own hens and are not Class ‘A’. Advice should be offered stating that, because the eggs are not Class ‘A’, the customer might like them properly cooked, particularly if they are in a vulnerable group.

It remains the case that if eggs are purchased from any other sources (including neighbours) then the eggs would have to be graded and stamped as Class ‘A’ before they can be used."

[HesterF]

No, I'm not saying there's a difference between the pub and any other catering establishment. But the documentation as an egg producer just requires me to register if I claim my eggs are Class A. I'm not claiming that they are so therefore I am not breaking any regulations in selling them. I agree from what you've posted that the pub IS breaking regulations by using my eggs. I'll try and dig out the articles with information about how to register as a small producer because it didn't sound that daunting.

[Stereo]

That article was by Pammy Riggs. I have been on their poultry dressing and dispatch course and Ritchie and her are very good sources of info on this stuff. Problem is, there is a lot to remember! We did go over the legalities a bit on the course, more with selling birds for meat than eggs. I think they gave us a leaflet which I have somewhere. I thought there was a reason why I shouldn't sell eggs to the B+B up the road who wanted some but maybe it's because we are not registered with DEFRA yet.

[AndynJ]

Regarding eggs it's pretty simple you can sell almost any means as long as it's direct to the consumer

Meat birds (abstract taken from regulatory documentation)
If you have a farm holding and are rearing and slaughtering less than 10,000 poultry and farmed
game birds per annum and these activities are carried out on your farm, you do not require
approval. However, you will need to meet general food hygiene regulations.
The permitted sales entitlements for these exempt producers are those direct to the final consumer
at the holding and also to local retail establishments that are directly supplying the final consumer,
(local is defined as within the County of your holding or neighbouring counties and would include farmers
markets within those boundaries).

Hope this helps