National rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

State rules require eggs sold directly at the farm or a local market to carry the producer code; up to 50 hens may be exempt if name and address are shown. Registration goes through entity or Brčko District authorities.

Read from 4 official sources19 passages quotedChecked October 29, 2026

At a glance

License

Unclear; ask entity or Brčko authority

Small-flock line

Not established

Farmers markets

Marking rules; sale terms unclear

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

The state food-hygiene rulebook does not cover direct supply of small quantities of primary products to consumers or local shops; separate regulations govern it, which were not identified. State egg rules tie the producer code to a laying-hen site registered under the state farm rulebook (egg rulebook art. 2(1)(p) and (t) as amended in 2014), so selling with the code implies a registered site unless the up-to-50-hen exemption applies; the farm rulebook was not read. Whether a small egg seller must register was not established.

A sourced reading of the rules in Bosnia and Herzegovina, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Agencija za sigurnost hrane Bosne i Hercegovine (Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina) before you sell.

Do you need a license?

Not stated in the sources we readNot established
  • The hygiene rulebook does not apply to primary production for household use or to direct supply of small quantities of primary products to final consumers or local retail (art. 2(1)(a) and (c)); those direct-supply activities are governed by separate regulations (art. 2(2)), which were not identified.
  • For food businesses the hygiene rulebook covers, operators notify the entity or Brčko District competent authority of each establishment so that it is registered (art. 7(2)(a)); the rulebook does not apply to direct supply of small quantities.art. 2(1)(c)
  • Check with your entity (Federation of BiH or Republika Srpska) or Brčko District authority.

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

Not stated

The state egg rulebook sets marking for eggs sold directly at the place of production (art. 9(5)); whether and on what terms you may sell there is set by the separate direct-supply rules, not identified.

Farmers markets

Not stated

The state egg rulebook sets marking for eggs sold directly at a local public market (art. 9(5)); market sale terms were not established.

Stores and restaurants

Not stated

Not established from the state texts read (egg rulebook; hygiene rulebook arts 2 and 7).

Also check with: Agriculture ministries of the entities, cantons and Brčko District: the competent authorities named in the egg rulebook (art. 7(3)).

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

The sources we read don't set a carton rule.

Refrigeration

No storage maximum was found in the state egg rulebook; class A eggs must not be treated for preservation or chilled in rooms or plants artificially held below 5°C (art. 4(3)); eggs held below 5°C during transport of under 24 hours or in retail premises for up to 72 hours are not treated as chilled (art. 4(4)).

The label must show

  • Eggs sold directly at the place of production or a local public market carry the producer code (egg rulebook art. 9(1) and (5)); producers with up to 50 laying hens may be exempted if their name and address are displayed at the point of sale and the rules on labelling unpackaged food are met (art. 9(6)).
  • Loose eggs: quality class, weight, farming-method code, explanation of the producer code and best-before date shown to the consumer (art. 21).

Grading

Only packing centres grade, pack and mark egg packs (egg rulebook art. 7(1)); a grading exemption for eggs sold directly by small producers was not found in the rulebook read.

Washing

Class A eggs must not be washed or otherwise cleaned before or after grading, except where a packing centre is authorised to wash eggs (egg rulebook arts 4(2) and 5(1)); a washing rule specific to small producers was not found.

Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.

Keeping chickens in Bosnia and Herzegovina? →Registration, bird-flu housing orders and welfare rules, on their own page.Registration required

Common questions

Can I sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and do I need a license?
State rules require eggs sold directly at the farm or a local market to carry the producer code; up to 50 hens may be exempt if name and address are shown. Registration goes through entity or Brčko District authorities. Small-flock line: not established. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Not stated in the sources we read. The state egg rulebook sets marking for eggs sold directly at a local public market (art. 9(5)); market sale terms were not established. Also check with Agriculture ministries of the entities, cantons and Brčko District: the competent authorities named in the egg rulebook (art. 7(3)).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
The sources we read do not say; ask Agencija za sigurnost hrane Bosne i Hercegovine (Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina) before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Eggs sold directly at the place of production or a local public market carry the producer code (egg rulebook art. 9(1) and (5)); producers with up to 50 laying hens may be exempted if their name and address are displayed at the point of sale and the rules on labelling unpackaged food are met (art. 9(6)). Loose eggs: quality class, weight, farming-method code, explanation of the producer code and best-before date shown to the consumer (art. 21). The rule reads: "(5) Jaja koja se prodaju neposredno krajnjem potrošaču na mjestu proizvodnje ili na lokalnoj javnoj tržnici označavaju se u skladu sa stavom (1) ovog člana."
Do eggs I sell in Bosnia and Herzegovina have to be kept cold?
In short: No storage maximum was found in the state egg rulebook; class A eggs must not be treated for preservation or chilled in rooms or plants artificially held below 5°C (art. 4(3)); eggs held below 5°C during transport of under 24 hours or in retail premises for up to 72 hours are not treated as chilled (art. 4(4)).
Sources
Read the 19 passages this page is built on
What we couldn't confirm
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina has state, entity (Federation of BiH, Republika Srpska) and Brčko District law. Only state texts were read; entity and Brčko rules on direct sales, registration and keeping were not.
  • The separate regulations that govern direct supply of small quantities (hygiene rulebook art. 2(2)) were not identified.
  • The 2009 animal welfare law and the 2002 veterinary law were read as published; later amendments were not checked.
  • Whether any bird-flu measure applies now is not shown here; check with the Office for Veterinary Affairs of BiH and your entity or Brčko District veterinary authority.

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