National rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Malta?

Any food business, profit or not, selling included, must be registered with Malta's Food Safety and Security Authority. A small-seller rule for eggs was not found.

Read from 7 official sources21 passages quotedChecked October 29, 2026

At a glance

Licence

Registration

Small-flock line

Every food business, profit or not

Farmers markets

Stall registration; egg rule unclear

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

Under the Food Safety Act, no one may run a food business, for profit or not, unless the person, the business and its premises are registered with the Food Safety and Security Authority. A national rule easing direct sales of small quantities of eggs was not found in the Food Safety Act regulations checked.

A sourced reading of the rules in Malta, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the Food Safety and Security Authority (Food Safety and Security Authority Act, Cap. 649) before you sell.

Do you need a licence?

Registration requiredEvery food business, profit or not
  • A food business is any undertaking, for profit or not, public or private, carrying out activities at any stage of the production, processing and distribution of food (Food Safety Act art. 2). Registration is with the Food Safety and Security Authority, and a licence is also needed where the Act or rules made under it require one.art. 11(1)
  • The older Registration of Food Premises Regulations (S.L. 449.28, consolidated text of 22 July 2010) require registration of premises used for a food business, market stalls and vehicles included, on three or more days in any three consecutive weeks (regs 2-3). They still name the Food Safety Commission, whose articles in the Food Safety Act (Part II, arts 5-7A) were deleted by Act XV of 2025.
  • Under S.L. 449.28, registration does not replace any other licence or permit a competent authority may require.reg. 3(3)
  • The Control of the Sale of Eggs Regulations restrict whom a 'producer' may sell eggs to (wholesalers or retailers, hotels and catering establishments, hospitals, or holders of a special permit), but a 'producer' there is someone with at least one thousand layers.S.L. 117.17 regs 2-3
  • A registration fee was not found in the texts read.Food Safety Act arts 2, 5 and 11; S.L. 449.28 regs 1-7
The exact wording
“11. (1) No person shall engage in any food business unless such person, the food business and the food premises to be used for that purpose are registered with and, where required by or under this Act, licensed by the Food Safety and Security Authority.”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

Not stated

A national rule for selling small quantities of your own eggs at the farm was not found in the Food Safety Act regulations checked; the Food Safety Act requires anyone running a food business, for profit or not, to have themselves, the business and its premises registered with the Food Safety and Security Authority (art. 11(1)).

Farmers markets

Not stated

Market stalls count as food premises (S.L. 449.28 reg. 2). The Food Safety Act requires anyone running a food business, for profit or not, to have themselves, the business and its premises registered with the Food Safety and Security Authority (art. 11(1)); the older S.L. 449.28 also requires registration of a stall used on three or more days in any three consecutive weeks (reg. 3(1)). A small-seller rule for eggs at markets was not found.

Stores and restaurants

Not stated

Only for producers with at least one thousand layers do the regulations fix the buyers (S.L. 117.17 reg. 3).

Also check with: Director of Trade: special permits under the Control of the Sale of Eggs Regulations (S.L. 117.17 reg. 3(d)).

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

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

Refrigeration

Food likely to support the growth of harmful bacteria may not be kept above 8°C as part of a commercial operation, except food that can be kept at room temperature for its shelf life (S.L. 449.55 regs 3(1) and 4(b)). The regulations do not say which of these covers shell eggs.

The label must show

The sources we read don't list label items for small producers.

Grading

Whether Malta lets small sellers sell ungraded eggs was not found in the regulations read (S.L. 117.17, 449.28, 449.55).

Washing

A washing rule was not found in the regulations read (S.L. 117.17, 449.28, 449.55).

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

Keeping chickens in Malta? →Registration, bird-flu housing orders and welfare rules, on their own page.Registration: conditions

Common questions

Can I sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Malta, and do I need a licence?
Any food business, profit or not, selling included, must be registered with Malta's Food Safety and Security Authority. A small-seller rule for eggs was not found. Small-flock line: every food business, profit or not. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Malta?
Not stated in the sources we read. Market stalls count as food premises (S.L. 449.28 reg. 2). The Food Safety Act requires anyone running a food business, for profit or not, to have themselves, the business and its premises registered with the Food Safety and Security Authority (art. 11(1)); the older S.L. 449.28 also requires registration of a stall used on three or more days in any three consecutive weeks (reg. 3(1)). A small-seller rule for eggs at markets was not found. Also check with Director of Trade: special permits under the Control of the Sale of Eggs Regulations (S.L. 117.17 reg. 3(d)).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Malta?
The sources we read do not say; ask the Food Safety and Security Authority (Food Safety and Security Authority Act, Cap. 649) before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Malta?
The sources we read do not list label items for small producers.
Do eggs I sell in Malta have to be kept cold?
In short: Food likely to support the growth of harmful bacteria may not be kept above 8°C as part of a commercial operation, except food that can be kept at room temperature for its shelf life (S.L. 449.55 regs 3(1) and 4(b)). The regulations do not say which of these covers shell eggs.
Sources
Read the 21 passages this page is built on
  • “11. (1) No person shall engage in any food business unless such person, the food business and the food premises to be used for that purpose are registered with and, where required by or under this Act, licensed by the Food Safety and Security Authority.”

    Food Safety Act (Cap. 449), arts 2, 5 and 11 · read 2026-10-29

  • "food business" means any undertaking, whether for profit or not and whether public or private, carrying out any of the activities related to any stage of production, processing and distribution and the importation and exportation of food;

    Food Safety Act (Cap. 449), arts 2, 5 and 11 · read 2026-10-29

  • “Food Safety Commission 5. Deleted by Act XV.2025.39. 6. Deleted by Act XV.2025.39. 7. Deleted by Act XV.2025.39. 7A. Deleted by Act XV.2025.39.”

    Food Safety Act (Cap. 449), arts 2, 5 and 11 · read 2026-10-29

  • "Food Safety and Security Authority" means the Food Safety and Security Authority established by article 4 of the Food Safety and Security Authority Act;

    Food Safety Act (Cap. 449), arts 2, 5 and 11 · read 2026-10-29

  • “ACT XIV of 2002, as amended by Legal Notice 426 of 2007; and Acts XXIX of 2007 , VI of 2011 , XXXV of 2023 and XV of 2025.”

    Food Safety Act (Cap. 449), arts 2, 5 and 11 · read 2026-10-29

  • “There shall be established an Authority, to be known as the Food Safety and Security Authority which shall be responsible to ensure the security of supply, food safety and sustainability of food systems in Malta.”

    Food Safety and Security Authority Act (Cap. 649), arts 4 and 6 · read 2026-10-29

  • “to issue licenses or other authorisations to operators and establishments involved in the production, processing and, or marketing or other offering of food for human consumption;”

    Food Safety and Security Authority Act (Cap. 649), arts 4 and 6 · read 2026-10-29

  • “No person may use any premises as a food premises for the purposes of a food business for three or more days, whether consecutive or not, in any period of three consecutive weeks unless such premises are registered with the Food Safety Commission.”

    S.L. 449.28, regs 2-4 · read 2026-10-29

  • “''food business'' means any business in the course of which commercial operations with respect to food or food sources are carried out, including the import and export of food, and whether carried on for profit or not;”

    S.L. 449.28, regs 2-4 · read 2026-10-29

  • “''food premises'' means any premises used for the purpose of a food business, including stalls, whether in open or indoor markets, and vehicles, whether movable or not;”

    S.L. 449.28, regs 2-4 · read 2026-10-29

  • “(a) selling, processing for sale, and offering, exposing or advertising for sale;”

    S.L. 449.28, regs 2-4 · read 2026-10-29

  • “Registration of food premises or a food business under this regulation shall not exempt the proprietor from any obligation to apply for and acquire the necessary licences or permits that may be required by any competent authority.”

    S.L. 449.28, regs 2-4 · read 2026-10-29

  • “Registration shall be carried out in writing on the appropriate form acquired from the Food Safety Commission, duly filled and forwarded to the designated office.”

    S.L. 449.28, regs 2-4 · read 2026-10-29

  • "producer" means any person who owns or has under his control any premises wherein there are at least one thousand layers;

    S.L. 117.17, regs 2-3 · read 2026-10-29

  • “No producer shall sell any eggs except to -”

    S.L. 117.17, regs 2-3 · read 2026-10-29

  • “(a) wholesalers or retailers; (b) hotels and/or catering establishments; (c) hospitals; (d) holders of a special permit issued by the Director.”

    S.L. 117.17, regs 2-3 · read 2026-10-29

  • "Director" means the Director of Trade and includes any officer

    S.L. 117.17, regs 2-3 · read 2026-10-29

  • “No person shall keep in any premises, as part of a commercial operation, any food which is likely to support the growth of pathogenic micro-organisms or the formation of toxins at a temperature above 8°C:”

    S.L. 449.55, regs 3-4 · read 2026-10-29

  • “(b) food which, for the duration of its shelf life, may be kept at ambient temperatures without rendering it unwholesome;”

    S.L. 449.55, regs 3-4 · read 2026-10-29

  • “L-aħħar data tal-konsolidazzjoni 5 ta' Ottubru 2026”

    Leġiżlazzjoni Malta, consolidated laws page · read 2026-10-29

  • “Il-kontenut huwa konsolidat fi żmien ħamest ijiem ta’ xogħol mid-data tal-pubblikazzjoni tiegħu fil-Gazzetta tal-Gvern,”

    Leġiżlazzjoni Malta, FAQ · read 2026-10-29

What we couldn't confirm
  • Two Maltese government websites (environmentalhealth.gov.mt and agriculture.gov.mt) could not be read, so no official guidance on selling eggs, registration forms or bird-flu status is reflected here.
  • A national rule for direct sales of small quantities of eggs was not found in the Food Safety Act regulations checked (S.L. 449.1 to 449.63 by title; full text of S.L. 449.2, 449.28, 449.31, 449.55 and 449.56).
  • Whether Malta uses the EU options to let small sellers sell ungraded or unmarked eggs was not established.
  • Whether any bird-flu order applies now, and where, is not shown here; ask the Director of Veterinary Services (Department of Veterinary Services).

More countries in Europe

Elsewhere in the world

Legal where you live? Then keep the books.

PoultryPal's sales ledger tracks customers, dozens and payments next to your feed costs, so you know your margin and not just your egg count. Premium includes financial tracking and the sales ledger. Free to download on iOS and Android.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play