Egg-laying hens
A guide to raising laying hens for egg production.
Updated 15 April 2024
Preparing eggs for sale
When preparing eggs for sale, you must follow good food hygiene protocol and ensure that eggs are packed and labelled according to your legal duties.
Eggs can be sold as organic, free-range or barn eggs, or eggs from caged hens. To market your eggs as any of these, you must follow the minimum legal criteria for each category. Eggs that do not meet all of the criteria for organic, free-range or barn are automatically classed as being from caged hens.
You legal duties around preparing eggs for sale depend on whether you need to be registered as an egg packing centre or not (see ’Registering as an egg packing centre’).
If you are not registered as an egg packing centre, you can only supply eggs from your own hens.
If you are registered as an egg packing centre, you must grade, pack, and label eggs within four days from date of lay.
Read more:
Food safety & eggs
You have a legal duty to ensure that the eggs you supply are safe for human consumption.
Do not sell eggs (for human consumption):
- From ill hens – these are classified as high-risk animal by-products, and must be disposed of appropriately (see ’Hen carcasses & waste’).
- From hens that have received medication, until the end of the withdrawal period (see ’Medicines’).
- After 21 days from the date of lay.
- If they are damaged, cracked or dirty. You must never wash or clean eggs as this removes the protective outer layer (or ’bloom’) around them.
Read more in the Food Hygiene Regulations guide for small producers.
Grading eggs
If you registered as an egg packing centre to sell eggs to retailers, processors, restaurants or bakeries, you must grade all eggs your package and supply.
There are three quality grades for eggs:
- Grade A: Eggs fit for human consumption (you can only sell these eggs to the public)
- Grade B: Eggs to be pasteurised by authorised premises manufacturing egg products
- Industrial eggs: Neither of the above, non-food use only
In addition, Grade A eggs are graded by weight:
- XL – very large eggs weighing 73g or more
- L – large eggs 63g up to 73g
- M – medium eggs 53g up to 63g
- S – below 53g
Read more about grading eggs:
Marking eggs
Eggs may be marked or stamped for traceability and quality control. Eggs can be stamped using food-grade ink with a custom hand-held stamper or in a printing machine. Stamping equipment should be hygienic and disinfected regularly.
If you do not need to register as an egg packing centre, you have less legal responsibilities to mark eggs.
Not registered
- Selling directly to customers locally: No duty to mark eggs
- Selling at local markets: If you have up to 50 hens, you do not have to stamp the eggs. If you have more than 50 hens, you must stamp the eggs with your producer code (see ’Registering as an egg producer’).
Registered
You must mark all eggs being sold to retailers, processors, restaurants or bakeries. The eggs must be stamped with a code that includes:
- Number code for rearing method (0 = organic, 1 = free-range, 2 = barn, 3 = cage)
- Country of origin (UK)
- Your egg producer number
- The code SCO to indicate that the eggs originate from Scotland
Packing & packaging
You must only package eggs in materials that are approved for being in contact with food, such as egg cartons made of cardboard. Read the legislation on packaging materials. Packaging can be any size and can be re-used, as long as it is dry, clean and in good condition.
When packing eggs, you must only pack together eggs that were laid on the same date by hens in the same flock. Grade A and Grade B eggs must not be mixed, but you can mix eggs of different weight grades as long as you weigh their total.
Read more:
Labelling
When labelling your eggs, you must comply with regulations ensuring that customers are being given correct information.
Some words used to market eggs (like ’extra fresh’ or ’free-range’) are legally reserved and you can only use them if you comply with the legal requirements. You are liable for false claims, so it is important to familiarise yourself with the guidance.
Eggs are labelled on the packaging of if supplied loose from trays, the same information must be displayed on a notice with the eggs.
If you do not need to register as an egg packing centre, you have less legal responsibilities when labelling eggs.
Not registered
If you sell eggs directly to customers locally, you must label them with:
- A best-before date in format ’Best before: day/month/year’ (maximum 28 days from the date when they were laid)
- The storage instruction ‘Keep refrigerated after purchase’
If you sell eggs at local markets, you must also include your name and address.
If you are not registered as an egg packing centre, you must not include claims about the quality and weight grades of the eggs.
Registered
You must label all eggs being sold to retailers, processors, restaurants or bakeries.
Packaged eggs and loose eggs in trays must have the following information:
- Quality grade (grade A)
- Weight grade or if mixing weight grades, the total net weight and either the statement ’eggs of different sizes’ or information about the weight grades included
- Number code for rearing method (0 = organic, 1 = free-range, 2 = barn, 3 = cage)
- Explanation for rearing method number code
- A best-before date in format ’Best before: day/month/year’ (maximum 28 days from the date when they were laid)
- The storage instruction ‘Keep refrigerated after purchase’
If eggs are packaged, you must also include:
- Your name and address
- Number of eggs in the pack
You can also include optional information as long as it is not false, such as the packing date.
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