charging for eggs

[craigf]

Hi,

How much do people charge for eggs?
Also are we ok to just sell to friends / work collegues?

Thanks
Craig

[orpy lady]

Hi Craig

VT is the one to give you the accurate details of what you can and cannot do with your eggs.
As I understand it you are allowed to sell your eggs as long as you do not advertise them free range. The term free range can only be used by registered and approved egg producers and must be stamped.
You can call them farm fresh reared outside or any other description you care to call them.
You can sell them from your home, from the back of your car (boot fairs)
door to door deliveries, by person but not to shops if boxed. I think it is a grey area here. I contacted our local aggriculture watchdog to find out if I could sell to shops and 6 years ago they said no way, but I noticed in the last 18 months our local shop is selling fresh eggs from a local breeder with no stamps on from a basket and she told me that as long as they are not boxed, she is permitted to sell them. As I do not sell to her, I have never followed this through from the legal aspect.

The prices here vary from £1.40 to £1.80 per dozen. I have seen them for as much as £2 per dozen. The best thing is to drive around in the spring and see what the posters say outside sellers houses. I sell for £1.50 per dozen. 80p per 1/2 dozen.

[Vicky]

Hi Craig,

If you sell or give your eggs to your friends and family, or directly to another, or at the farm gate you do not need to be registered. To use the term ‘Free Range’ you must be registered, although, in theory this is practised widely, without registration, or enforcement. You can sell eggs on, but you must let people know when they were laid, advise to refrigerate and also the eggs should be clean. You can wash them, but it must be done in warmer water than the egg and preferably with an egg sanitant.

EC 5/2001, which is a Regulation and directly applicable to all European member states, requires that sellers of Class A eggs, which are sold at ‘retail level’ (indirectly to the consumer through another outlet) must be coded, unwashed and labelled by means of production, so therefore, registered. The eggs must fulfil certain criteria. Even those selling through local markets are now caught up in the latest amendments to the legislation. This also includes those with less than 350 hens

Eggs sold to individuals directly and to public markets do not need to be size graded. But, to sell in markets, registration is still compulsory.

Grade A eggs (for retail sale) have to fulfil stringent criteria, in cleanliness and egg shell quality and they must be free of meat or bloodspots, which is determined by candling. Grade B eggs have to be used in the catering trade (although, for use 'in shell' Grade A must be used) and anything beyond this is not fit for human consumption. Many eggs going out to friends and family are Grade B. There is nothing wrong with them. They just do not comply with the perfect egg, as laid down, in Law.

Regulation and control is carried out by the Egg Marketing Inspectorate, which is another arm of Defra and also Trading Standards.

More information on egg quality can be found here:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/poultry ... ggqual.pdf

[Brahmagirl]

We sell ours to people where my hubby works - usually quite a demand - even at £1 for 6 - we used to ask about 60 or 70p but then people started saying there were worth more than that and offered £1. Some people I sell to locally say they "like a bit of mud on 'em - shows they come from 'real' hens" - and a clean fluffy feather in the box - they love that!!

Jill

[Vicky]

Yes, my customers like mucky ones too!!! -D :-D

But, I do have one who is a bit awkward and picks them all up for examination and smells them all!!! :shock: :shock:


I sell for 70p per half dozen.

[craigf]

I was thinking about that too. Not after making money from them. Just want to try and get some money to put towards feeding.

[Vicky]

I sell between twelve and fifteen dozen a week, on average and don't make any money.

But, I fund the feed and know that those people are buying free range, good quality eggs. :-D

[Brahmagirl]

We don't keep accurate records of egg sales & feed purchases - I feel that they probably pay for their food - but that's the cheap part - the real expense of keeping my birds comes in the housing, fencing, medicines, bedding & all those other little extras we love to provide for their comfort & delight!! If I took all that into account I reckon every egg costs about £7 to produce!!!

[Top Hen]

I sell my eggs....when they flippin lay! ::) for £1 per half doz and people are happy to pay it because they like the freshness and ME!

[Rhode Runner]

I give all my spare eggs away. However my mate Dave has Wyandotte Banties and he sells at £1.20 a dozen 60p per half dozen. He never can satisfy the demand. Mind you I have to say he is a publican and nipping out to get a dozen eggs can have a number of meanings. :wink: :wink:

Allan

[chook]

Thanks, VT, for that detailed account. I have recently looked at the legislation as well and the relevant EU Regulations appear to be

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 1907/90
of 26 June 1990
on certain marketing standards for eggs
(OJ L 173, 6.7.1990, p. 5)

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2295/2003
of 23 December 2003
introducing detailed rules for implementing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1907/90 on certain
marketing standards for eggs

Relevant to the likes of us is this (from Reg. 1907/90)

3. This Regulation shall not apply to:
— eggs sold directly to the consumer for his own use, by the producer
on his own farm, in a local public market with the exception of
auction markets, or by door-to-door selling,
[...]
provided that the eggs come from the producer's own production and
are not packed in accordance with Articles 10, 11 and 12 and that use
is not made of any of the quality and weight gradings laid down in this
Regulation.

One thing you did not mention VT, is that washed eggs are automatically Grade B.

This is how it is worded:

[...]
2. Grade A eggs shall not be washed, or cleaned by any
other means, before or after grading.
Accordingly, eggs washed in accordance with Article 6(4) of
Regulation (EEC) No 1907/90, even where they fulfil the
criteria applicable to grade A eggs, may not be marketed as
grade A eggs and must be marked ‘washed eggs’.
[...]
Grade B eggs
Grade B eggs shall be eggs which do not meet the requirements
applicable to eggs in grade A. They may be passed only to food
industry undertakings approved in accordance with Article 6 of
Directive 89/437/EEC or to non-food industry undertakings.

Source: COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2295/2003
of 23 December 2003
introducing detailed rules for implementing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1907/90 on certain
marketing standards for eggs
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/sit ... 160034.pdf


BTW I sell mine for Euro 1.70 per 6 (Euro 1.50 last year). Their feed is 80% certified organic and the rest is GM-free etc.

chook

[Vicky]

EC- Council Regulation (EEC) 1907/90 has been amended by Council Regulation (EC) 5/2001, so the later regulation takes precedence over the earlier one. The earlier one is being repealed in July.

I was trying not to bog Craigf down, with legislation when all he wanted to do was pass eggs on, to friends and family. I merely stated what was generally practiced should anyone wish further advice on the matter of selling eggs and also provided the link to the EMI leaflet, which provides the detail on egg washing. But, I thought I'd' mentioned it.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1028/2006 has amended much of what was included in COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2295/2003

and already, most of this becomes a real nightmare for someone wanting general information.

There are many other relevant Regulations, Directives and Decisions, some of which are directly applicable, have direct effect, or are directly effective on the result to be achieved. But, it is all very complicated and not really for discussion on a poultry board at length, unless one is unable to sleep! :-D

:

[chook]

Sorry, VT,
I was referring to COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 1907/90 including amendments, i.e. the consolidated version as available on http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/sit ... 701-en.pdf
last amended on 21 June 2005.
However, I wasn't aware of 1028/2006. Thanks for that.

chook

[Vicky]

Unfortunately, one quite often has to read through Regulations/ Directives themselves in order to discover what's what. SO clear are the replacement legislative provisons. Utterly boring and numbs the brain, I'm afraid. :shock: :-D :-D

Besides which, I don't want to frighten Craigf off the forum!!! :shock: :shock:

Forgot to add, this lot is advice for England only. Wales, Scotland and Ireland have their own regs!!! :cry: :cry: :shock: