Province rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Saskatchewan?

Yes. Under 300 hens you need no egg-board licence, and you may sell your own eggs, graded or ungraded, directly to consumers on your farm or at farmers' and public markets, kept at 4°C.

Read from 5 official sources18 passages quotedChecked October 7, 2026

At a glance

Licence

Depends how you sell

Small-flock line

Fewer than 300 hens

Farmers markets

With conditions

Cartons

Reuse with conditions

In plain English

Saskatchewan's supply-management line is 300 hens: a producer with fewer than 300 hens is exempt from the Commercial Egg Marketing Plan and needs no Saskatchewan Egg Producers licence (the Ministry of Agriculture puts the unregulated limit at 299 laying hens). The province's own egg grading regulations were repealed in June 2024, and since August 7, 2026 egg sales are set by s. 22 of The Food Safety Regulations. A producer selling eggs must sell only whole, clean, uncracked, non-leaking eggs produced on the producer's premises; pack them in clean cartons labelled with the producer's name, contact information and packing date, and, for ungraded chicken eggs, marked 'ungraded eggs' in easily readable letters; and keep them at 4°C or less until sold, including in transport and on display. Eggs meeting those rules may be sold directly to consumers at a farmer's market, a public market or on the premises where they were produced. Restaurants and other food facilities may not use ungraded chicken eggs, and stores must buy food from inspected sources.

A sourced reading of Saskatchewan's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Saskatchewan Health Authority (public health inspection under The Food Safety Regulations) before you sell.

Do you need a licence?

Depends on how and how much you sellFewer than 300 hens
  • Fewer than 300 hens, however held (ownership, lease or other means): exempt from the egg marketing plan and no licence needed.RRS c A-15.21 Reg 2, s. 6(1)(a)
  • Sell only eggs that are whole, clean, have no visible cracks and are not leaking.RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.2)(a)(i)
  • Sell only eggs produced on your own premises.RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.2)(a)(ii)
  • Pack in clean cartons labelled with your name, contact information and the packing date.RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.2)(b)(i)
  • Ungraded chicken eggs: carton marked 'ungraded eggs' in letters of a size and prominence that are easily readable.RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.2)(b)(ii)
  • Keep eggs at 4°C or less until sold, including during transportation, display and storage.RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.2)(c)
  • Sell directly to consumers at a farmer's market, a public market or on the premises where the eggs were produced.RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.3)
  • No food facility (restaurant, processor) may use ungraded chicken eggs in anything it makes or serves.RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.4)
  • 300 or more hens: a Saskatchewan Egg Producers licence is required.RRS c A-15.21 Reg 2, s. 27
The exact wording
“The following producers are exempt from the plan and are not required to hold a licence in order to produce or market eggs: (a) every producer who possesses, whether by ownership, lease or any other means, fewer than 300 hens;”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

With conditions

Eggs may be sold directly to consumers on the premises where they were produced if they meet s. 22(1.2): clean, uncracked, own-premises eggs in clean cartons with your name, contact information and packing date, marked 'ungraded eggs' if ungraded, held at 4°C or less (RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.2)-(1.3)).

Farmers markets

With conditions

Allowed directly to consumers at a farmer's market or public market under the same s. 22(1.2) rules, with eggs kept at 4°C or less on display (RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.3)). Grading is not required. Check with the market manager and the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Stores and restaurants

Licence needed

No food facility may use ungraded chicken eggs (s. 22(1.4)), and stores and other food distributors must obtain food from inspected sources unless the local authority exempts them in writing (s. 22(1)), so selling to restaurants or stores needs eggs graded at a registered egg station.

Also check with: Saskatchewan Health Authority, public health inspection (market and food sales)

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

Reused cartons are allowed, with conditions.

“package the eggs in clean cartons that are: (i) labelled with the producer’s name and contact information and the date on which the eggs were packaged; and (ii) in the case of ungraded chicken eggs, marked as ‘ungraded eggs’ in letters of a size and prominence that are easily readable;”

Refrigeration

4°C or colder where the rule applies.

“until the eggs are sold, keep the eggs at a temperature of 4°C or less, including during transportation, display and storage.”

The label must show

  • Producer's name and contact information
  • Date the eggs were packaged
  • Ungraded chicken eggs: 'ungraded eggs' in easily readable letters

Grading

Ungraded sales are allowed only in some cases.

“A food distributor may sell whole eggs directly to consumers at a farmer’s market or public market or on the premises on which the eggs were produced if the eggs and egg packaging meet the requirements of subsection (1.2). … no operator of a food facility shall use ungraded chicken eggs in any product produced or served in or from the food facility.”

Washing

No washing rule in s. 22. The Ministry of Agriculture's poultry page says eggs can be brushed with sandpaper or washed in water at least 12°C warmer than the eggs, with a sanitizer (not dishwashing liquid), then rinsed and dried before storage.

Federal rules apply on top of Saskatchewan's: Canada's federal egg rules. Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.

What changed recently

  1. 2026-08-07 · The Food Safety Amendment Regulations, 2026 (SR 51/2026) amended s. 22: food distributors must use inspected sources, with new egg rules letting producers sell graded or ungraded eggs directly to consumers on the farm or at farmers' and public markets, and barring ungraded chicken eggs in food facilities. Source
  2. 2024-06-13 · The Saskatchewan Egg Regulations, 2010 (provincial egg grading rules, which allowed producers to market eggs directly to consumers) were repealed by Sask. Reg. 46/2024. Source

Common questions

Do I need a licence to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Saskatchewan?
Yes. Under 300 hens you need no egg-board licence, and you may sell your own eggs, graded or ungraded, directly to consumers on your farm or at farmers' and public markets, kept at 4°C. Small-flock line: fewer than 300 hens. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Saskatchewan?
Allowed with conditions. Allowed directly to consumers at a farmer's market or public market under the same s. 22(1.2) rules, with eggs kept at 4°C or less on display (RRS c P-37.1 Reg 12, s. 22(1.3)). Grading is not required. Check with the market manager and the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Also check with Saskatchewan Health Authority, public health inspection (market and food sales).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Saskatchewan?
With conditions. The rule reads: "package the eggs in clean cartons that are: (i) labelled with the producer’s name and contact information and the date on which the eggs were packaged; and (ii) in the case of ungraded chicken eggs, marked as ‘ungraded eggs’ in letters of a size and prominence that are easily readable;"
What has to be on the carton label in Saskatchewan?
Producer's name and contact information, Date the eggs were packaged, Ungraded chicken eggs: 'ungraded eggs' in easily readable letters. The rule reads: "labelled with the producer’s name and contact information and the date on which the eggs were packaged; and (ii) in the case of ungraded chicken eggs, marked as ‘ungraded eggs’ in letters of a size and prominence that are easily readable;"
Do eggs I sell in Saskatchewan have to be kept cold?
Yes, at 4°C or colder. The rule reads: "until the eggs are sold, keep the eggs at a temperature of 4°C or less, including during transportation, display and storage."
Sources
Read the 18 passages this page is built on
What we couldn't confirm
  • History: the 2025 consultation draft (Food Safety Amendment Regulations, 2025, side-by-side dated February 2025) would have made all 'food distributors', including market vendors, buy from inspected sources, which news reports said would have barred ungraded eggs at markets; news reports (CBC, CTV, Western Producer; not quoted) say the Health Minister then directed that eggs sold directly from farmer to consumer would not need grading. The enacted text (SR 51/2026, in force 7 Aug 2026 per the consolidation's history note) contains the egg exemption in s. 22(1.2)-(1.4). The amending regulation (OC 321/2026) itself was not read; the date comes from the official consolidation.
  • Licence for the seller: s. 5 requires a licence for a 'food facility', which includes a 'processing facility' where food is packaged or sold in a form not for immediate consumption. Section 22(1.2)-(1.3) sets egg rules without mentioning a licence, and whether the Saskatchewan Health Authority expects a farm-gate or market egg seller to hold one was not confirmed.
  • Sales by delivery or at places other than the farm, a farmer's market or a public market are not covered by s. 22(1.3); not researched.
  • Graded eggs from a small flock: graded eggs need a registered (federal) grading station; Saskatchewan Egg Producers' custom-grading rules for exempt producers were not read.
  • The Ministry of Agriculture's poultry page (no page date) gives 299 laying hens; the regulation says 'fewer than 300 hens' (same line). The regulation defines a hen as a female domestic fowl 'that is producing eggs'.
  • Duck, goose and other non-chicken eggs: s. 22(1.2) applies to 'eggs' generally and the 'ungraded eggs' marking to chicken eggs; the egg marketing plan covers hens' eggs only. Not researched further.
  • No Saskatchewan Health Authority or Ministry of Health web guidance on the 2026 egg rules was found; the agency page linked is the general SHA food safety page.

Elsewhere in Canada

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No licence for small salesDepends how you sellRegistration or licenceNot stated or not checked

All of Canada

Coloured by the small-flock licence rule, with the rules that apply everywhere in Canada.

Canada overview →

Legal where you live? Then keep the books.

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