This business guide explains the rules when selling hen eggs directly to the final consumer or a local retailer (not via a packing centre where different rules will apply).

It should be read along with business guide “Food Hygiene: regulations and responsibilities explained”.

The rules that you need to follow depend on the number of hens you have and where you sell the eggs.

Eggs sold directly to the consumer from a farm, by door-to-door delivery, or from a market or boot sale do not need to be weight graded or stamped but must be labelled with a best-before date, a statement that the eggs should be refrigerated after purchase, and in some circumstances the production site’s name and address or individual code.

A summary table of requirements is provided at the end of this guide.