[Declan]

Are there any rules/regulations about selling eggs from the farm gate.

[plumseverywhere]

we sell at the gate - we have under 50 hens, don't wash or do anything to the eggs, don't grade them and just make sure buyers know to use them within 3 weeks. I think DEFRa might have more guidelines and the above is just the basics I gleaned when we started x 

[Samantha]

does this help?

http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/Chicken_Egg_Excess/farm-gate-egg-sales.php

I have found this site useful on occasions and keep it in my favorites

Sam

[Hermit]

There are a few regs you have to abide by. One is only use new egg boxes unless the customer comes with their own to refill not to leave for you to re use. You can only advertise you are free range if you have been awarded that status , it is like saying you are organic. Eggs should be stored in a cool place as well if you follow regs so I dont know how that stands on gate sales in sunshine. As for labelling I do think there are certain things you have to put on the egg boxes even if you are an under fifty bird person like your address ,contents and dates but not got regs to hand. It does not cost anything to become registered with the egg marketing board, just a form and a few inspections. I had mine the other day, no probs.

[woodlandproductsfife]

hi, what happins when you go over 50 birds then? I thought you could keep upto 250 without any registration with defra?

          Craig

[little blue]

no mate, its up to 49...
but you can register any number if you want to - we did when we had only 6, and were registering a CPH number.
how times change!!

[woodlandproductsfife]

So is that registration to defra? but you also have to reg to sell eggs? So what determins free range status? That guy i got my first 6 birds from must have been way out of touch, or has it only just changed?

   Craig

[Hermit]

Basically it is the Egg Marketing board who determine if you are free range and deal with regs such as stamping, boxes etc for selling. Defra deal with the flock registration which includes all poultry, turkeys, geese etc in that 50. You have to register for disease control etc. Then finally it is the council health who decide your premises are suitable for selling eggs ...storing , packaging regs are followed , hen houses clean etc. They ll merge together to make sure the job is done right. Sounds complicated but it is simple really. It is only hen eggs that have to follow regs for selling at the moment but I was told by the Egg Marketing board that all eggs will be included eventually.

[woodlandproductsfife]

What costs are involved in these registrations? As i presume the robbin government will need to make something. I'm just asking as I do intend to have a large flock of free range, as soon as possible really. I take it the 250 was old rules.

    Craig

[Hermit]

No costs all free . You can register with defra on the internet and just ring your local egg marketing board up, they will send you all the criterea you need to meet as regards hen housing , stamping weighing , organic, Rspca approved , it will all be in there.They will inform your local council when you are approved to what you have applied for and jobs finished!. The only expense is the equipment,egg boxes,  candlers,scales, stamps ,ink etc. But you can get all that for good prices, cheapest I find is Ascot Smallholding supplies (for up here with postage anyway). You need to buy all that so they can check it out at the inspection. Only your production site number stamp that goes on the eggs needs to be bought afterwards when you are given one with the approval.Ascot personalise those as well. Good luck

[shetlandpaul]

yep hermit is right it costs nothing and it really is not a big deal. if your planning to sell at farmers markets and door to door or to friends then you don't need to bother.

[Roxy]

I have a free range eggs sign, and my many hens are there to see ....definitely free range.  I do not size them, or wash them ...seen a few wrinkled noses at that bit, must say.  My customers bring back boxes, and I do reuse them, until too tatty.  They have all said it would be wasteful not to reuse!!  I put my name, the address of the farm where the hens are, and a best before date - 3 weeks from when laid.  Some people put a "laid on" date instead.

[woodlandproductsfife]

thanks Hermit, I'm selling to friends only at the moment, Its when I come to the expansion, Just getting my self clued up. thats the great thing bout here, someone has the answers.

   Craig

[Fleecewife]

I understood that since about a year ago the 'Free Range' description can be used again without inspection for flocks of under 50.  We have had a Trading Standards visit (for the whole smallholding) since we went back to having Free Range on our sign and he was perfectly happy with everything.  We sell pretty much as Roxy does. You are not supposed to size eggs from small flocks into 'small', 'medium' and 'large' - we have 'Hen Eggs' and 'Bantam Eggs' and the hen eggs are a mix of sizes and colours - people love that. Also you should not wash eggs - I dust off anything but if they are mucky we keep them for ourselves and clean out the nest boxes again  . We sell from an honesty box at the gate and people love that too for some reason - never been cheated yet  
I was wondering about the temp in the honesty box too.  Suppose I should check.  It's very popular with earwigs in the summer  

[Roxy]

I too worried about the heat in my large plastic egg container, but they sell pretty fast, so think we are ok on that score.  What annoys me a bit, is that people sometimes go through the boxes, and mix and match till they get 6 large or whatever.......must think we are similar to pick and mix sweets maybe?  Or, they decide the eggs are small and leave a £1 for a dozen, which is the bantie eggs, and in reality they have hen eggs!!!!  It says on the box they are taking them from HEN EGGS FREE RANGE £2 PER DOZEN.  Clear enough surely?!!