Can you sell your backyard eggs in Australia?

• Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth), s 92 · FSANZ makes and varies Food Standards Code standards; state and territory food laws apply them
• Food Standards Code Standard 4.2.5 (F2018C00937, compilation No. 2, as at 29 November 2018) · Primary Production and Processing Standard for Eggs and Egg Product: applies to egg producers, including direct sale of eggs to the public; food safety management statement, egg stamping (cl. 10), no sale of cracked or dirty eggs (cl. 11)
• Food Standards Code Standard 2.2.2 (F2015L00428) · Eggs and egg products: unacceptable (cracked or dirty) eggs must not be sold retail or to a caterer; eggs for retail sale or to a caterer individually marked
• Food Standards (Proposal P1060 – Egg food safety and primary production requirements) Variation (F2025L01469) · Amends Standards 4.2.5 and 2.2.2; gazetted 4 December 2025, commences 18 months after gazettal

• “This Standard does not apply to retail sale or catering activities other than the direct sale of eggs to the public by an egg producer.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “egg producer means a business, enterprise or activity that involves the production of eggs, whether or not the business grades, packs, washes, candles or assesses for cracks, oils, pulps for supply to the processor for pasteurisation or stores or transports eggs or egg pulp.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “cracked egg means an egg which has a cracked shell which is visible, or visible by candling or other equivalent methods, and includes a broken egg. dirty egg means an egg that has visible faeces, soil or other matter on it.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “(1) An egg producer must systematically examine all of its production operations to identify potential hazards and implement control measures to address those hazards. … (3) An egg producer must operate according to a food safety management statement that sets out how the requirements of this Division are to be or are being complied with.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “An egg producer must not sell eggs unless each individual egg is marked with the producers’ unique identification.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “(3) Subclauses (1) and (2) do not apply to eggs or egg pulp sold or supplied to an egg processor (the supplied product) if that egg processor complies with clause 20 in respect of the supplied product. … an egg producer must have a system to identify to whom eggs or egg pulp is sold or supplied.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “(1) An egg producer must not sell or supply eggs or egg pulp for human consumption if it knows, ought to reasonably know or to reasonably suspect, that the eggs are unacceptable. (2) Subclause (1) does not apply to an egg producer that sells or supplies unacceptable eggs to an egg processor for processing in accordance with clause 21.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “An egg producer must not obtain eggs for human consumption from birds if the proprietor, supervisor or employee of the egg producer knows, ought to reasonably know or to reasonably suspect, the bird is affected by disease or a condition that makes the eggs unsafe or unsuitable.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “This is compilation No. 2 of Standard 4.2.5 as in force on 29 November 2018 (up to Amendment No. 182).”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “(1) Unacceptable eggs must not be sold in a retail sale or to a caterer. … Eggs for retail sale or for sale to a *caterer must be individually marked with the producer’s or processor’s unique identification.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “It requires egg producers and processors to identify and control egg safety hazards, prohibits the sale of dirty or cracked eggs (unless they are sold to a processor for cleaning or pasteurisation), and requires eggs to be stamped with the producer's unique identification so they can be traced.”

  foodstandards.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “The exemptions referred to in submissions are not provided by Standard 4.2.5, which is applied by and forms part of Commonwealth, State and Territory food laws. Exemption from compliance with those laws is a matter for the Governments and agencies responsible for administering those laws.”

  foodstandards.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “As flock infection with SE is only sporadic in Australia, mandating refrigeration of eggs (option 3) after grading through to retail sale was not preferred, given the large costs this would involve.”

  foodstandards.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “FSANZ approved the draft variation on 17 September 2025. The Food Ministers’ Meeting1 was notified of FSANZ’s decision on 25 September 2025.”

  foodstandards.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “This variation will be published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. FSC 186 on 4 December 2025. … The variation commences on the date that is 18 months after the date of gazettal.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “(1) An egg producer must not sell eggs unless each individual egg is uniquely marked to identify the egg producer. … (d) the name and contact details of each person to whom eggs or egg pulp are sold or supplied (other than by direct sale of eggs to the public);”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “(a) take samples from each poultry house used by a flock; and (b) test those samples for presence of Salmonella Enteritidis. … An egg producer who transports or stores eggs … must ensure that the time and temperature conditions under which those activities are undertaken do not make the eggs or egg pulp unsafe or unsuitable.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

• “(1) An egg producer must not sell or supply broken eggs for human consumption or for processing for human consumption.”

  legislation.gov.au · read 2026-10-07

What we couldn't confirm

• Carton reuse and carton labelling: no national egg-specific carton rule was found in Standards 4.2.5 or 2.2.2. General packaged-food labelling (Standard 1.2.1 and related standards) was not fetched, so whether farm-packed cartons need a name/address, date mark or lot number nationally is not confirmed here; state guidance pages may cover it.
• Direct-sales verdicts are 'unknown' on purpose: Standard 4.2.5 sets the conditions (stamping, no cracked/dirty eggs) but licensing, registration and stamping exemptions are set in state and territory food laws (see each state's record).
• FSANZ's P1060 Supporting Document 3 (25 September 2025) summarises state exemptions (e.g. NSW 20 dozen per week, Victoria fewer than 50 birds, Queensland and WA no exemptions); it is a secondary summary and each state record is checked against that state's own law.
• Standard 4.1.1 (preliminary provisions, definition of 'relevant authority' and, after P1060, the 'general food safety management requirements') was not fetched.
• The foodregulation.gov.au egg guidance tool (2023) could not be downloaded (connection dropped); not used.
• Commencement of the P1060 variation is '18 months after the date of gazettal' (gazettal 4 December 2025); the exact date 4 June 2027 is computed, not stated in the instrument.