National rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Mauritania?

Mauritania: all eggs offered for sale are subject to sanitary control. No rule for small or home egg sellers was found; whether premises approvals or the livestock-trade authorization apply to them is unclear.

Read from 3 official sources15 passages quotedChecked November 2, 2026

At a glance

License

Not stated

Small-flock line

No small-seller rule found in the national texts read

Farmers markets

Not stated

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

No Mauritanian rule for small or home egg sellers was found. All birds' eggs put up for sale are subject to sanitary and wholesomeness control, and unwholesome eggs may not be sold (Decree 2016-154, Arts 33 and 37). The same decree makes inspection compulsory in places where animals are slaughtered and where animal products are prepared, processed, stored, kept or sold, and opening or running those places needs a veterinary approval from the livestock minister (Arts 1-2). Opening a food production, handling or storage establishment needs a hygiene conformity certificate (Hygiene Code, Art. 29). A 2017 joint order also requires anyone who practises a listed livestock trade to hold a prior authorization or a qualification certificate from the livestock ministry; the list includes the poultry farmer ('aviculteur', who runs a farm specialised in meat or laying poultry) and the 'éleveur' (a person who raises animals) (Arrêté conjoint n°0822 of 2017, Art. 4 and annex). Whether a household selling its own eggs counts as such a place, establishment or trade was not established. Ask the livestock ministry's veterinary services.

A sourced reading of the rules in Mauritania, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the Ministry in charge of livestock (وزارة التنمية الحيوانية, Ministry of Animal Development), veterinary services before you sell.

Do you need a license?

Not stated in the sources we readNo small-seller rule found in the national texts read
  • All birds' eggs put up for sale are subject to sanitary and wholesomeness control.Decree 2016-154, Art. 33
  • Unwholesome eggs may not be offered for sale or sold.Decree 2016-154, Art. 37
  • Whether a household selling its own eggs needs the veterinary approval for places of sale of animal products (Decree 2016-154, Arts 1-2), the hygiene certificate for food establishments (Hygiene Code, Art. 29) or the livestock-trade authorization (Arrêté conjoint n°0822 of 2017, Art. 4) was not established.
  • Anyone practising a listed livestock trade, including the poultry farmer ('aviculteur') who runs a farm specialised in meat or laying poultry, must hold a prior authorization or qualification certificate from the livestock ministry; the conditions are to be set by ministerial order, which was not found.Arrêté conjoint n°0822 of 2017, Arts 4 and 6, annex

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

Not stated

No farm-gate rule for eggs was found. All birds' eggs put up for sale are subject to sanitary and wholesomeness control (Decree 2016-154, Art. 33).

Farmers markets

Not stated

Food sold on public roads, in markets and in other public places of sale is subject to conditions set by order of the public health minister (Hygiene Code, Art. 28); that order was not found in the texts read.

Stores and restaurants

Not stated

No rule on supplying shops or restaurants with eggs was found in the texts read.

Also check with: Ministry in charge of public health (sets the conditions for food sold in streets and markets, Hygiene Code, Art. 28)

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

No carton or packaging rule for eggs was found in the texts read.

Refrigeration

No storage temperature for eggs was found in the national texts read. Unwholesome eggs may not be sold (Decree 2016-154, Art. 37).

The label must show

Not established for eggs sold loose by small producers: the 2020 consumer protection law requires food to carry clear labeling in Arabic and French with listed particulars (Arts 3-4). The 2016 inspection decree adds that eggs from birds other than hens may be sold only if the label says 'œuf' followed by the species (Art. 34), and preserved eggs must be marked on the shell with 'stabilisé ou conservé', the preparation date and the expiry date (Art. 36).

Grading

No grade classes for eggs were found. Only eggs laid less than 24 hours earlier may be sold as 'œuf du jour', and 'fresh' eggs are unpreserved eggs laid less than three days earlier (Decree 2016-154, Art. 35).

Washing

No washing rule for eggs was found in the texts read.

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

Keeping chickens in Mauritania? →Registration, bird-flu housing orders and welfare rules, on their own page.Not established

Common questions

Can I sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Mauritania, and do I need a license?
Mauritania: all eggs offered for sale are subject to sanitary control. No rule for small or home egg sellers was found; whether premises approvals or the livestock-trade authorization apply to them is unclear. Small-flock line: no small-seller rule found in the national texts read. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Mauritania?
Not stated in the sources we read. Food sold on public roads, in markets and in other public places of sale is subject to conditions set by order of the public health minister (Hygiene Code, Art. 28); that order was not found in the texts read. Also check with the Ministry in charge of public health (sets the conditions for food sold in streets and markets, Hygiene Code, Art. 28).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Mauritania?
The sources we read don't settle this. In short: No carton or packaging rule for eggs was found in the texts read. Ask the Ministry in charge of livestock (وزارة التنمية الحيوانية, Ministry of Animal Development), veterinary services before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Mauritania?
In short: Not established for eggs sold loose by small producers: the 2020 consumer protection law requires food to carry clear labeling in Arabic and French with listed particulars (Arts 3-4). The 2016 inspection decree adds that eggs from birds other than hens may be sold only if the label says 'œuf' followed by the species (Art. 34), and preserved eggs must be marked on the shell with 'stabilisé ou conservé', the preparation date and the expiry date (Art. 36).
Do eggs I sell in Mauritania have to be kept cold?
In short: No storage temperature for eggs was found in the national texts read. Unwholesome eggs may not be sold (Decree 2016-154, Art. 37).
Sources
Read the 15 passages this page is built on
  • “Art.33.- Sont soumis au contrôle sanitaire et de salubrité tous les œufs d’oiseaux mis en vente.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “Il est interdit de mettre en vente ou de vendre de tels œufs.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “Art.1.- Dans tous les lieux d’abattage des animaux dont les produits sont destinés à la consommation publique de toutes espèces, à la préparation, à la transformation, de l’entreposage, à la conservation et à la vente de tous les produits d’origine animales, la surveillance technique des opérations, le contrôle de l’hygiène des locaux, le contrôle sanitaire des animaux”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “et l’Inspection Sanitaire et de la salubrité des produits sont obligatoires.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “Art.2.- Les conditions d’ouverture, réouverture et d’exploitation de tous les lieux visés à l’article premier du présent décret, sont soumises à des agréments vétérinaires délivrés par le Ministre chargé de l’Élevage sur avis du Directeur des services vétérinaires.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “Art.29.- Toute demande d’ouverture d’un établissement destiné à la production, à la manipulation ou au stockage des denrées alimentaires doit obligatoirement comporter un certificat de conformité aux normes d’hygiène des locaux, équipements et installations dûment établi par les services compétents.”

    Loi n°2010-042 du 21 juillet 2010 relative au Code d'Hygiène, arts 2, 28, 29, 76, 106, 111, 113 · read 2026-11-02

  • “Art.28.- Les denrées alimentaires vendues sur la voie publique, les marchés et autres lieux publics de vente sont soumises aux conditions générales ou particulières définies par arrêté du Ministre chargé de la santé publique.”

    Loi n°2010-042 du 21 juillet 2010 relative au Code d'Hygiène, arts 2, 28, 29, 76, 106, 111, 113 · read 2026-11-02

  • “Art.34.- Les œufs provenant d’un autre oiseau que les poules ne peuvent être mis en vente que si sur l’étiquette, le mot « œuf » est suivi du nom de l’espèce dont il provient.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “Art.35.- Ne peuvent être vendus sous la qualification « œuf du jour » que les œufs pondus depuis moins de vingt-quatre heures. Sont considérés comme frais les œufs qui n’ont pas été soumis à un procédé de conservation et qui ont été pondus depuis moins de trois jours.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “Art.36.- Les œufs conservés doivent porter sur la coquille la mention suivante selon le cas « stabilisé ou conservé » ainsi que la date de la préparation qu’ils ont subie et la date de péremption.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “A cet effet, les denrées alimentaires et les autres produits doivent porter un étiquetage suffisamment clair et comportant les renseignements permettant au consommateur, aux contrôleurs et aux inspecteurs d’apprécier le produit au regard des exigences de santé et de sécurité. L’étiquetage doit être en arabe et en français.”

    Loi n°2020-007 du 4 juin 2020 relative à la protection du consommateur, arts 3-4 · read 2026-11-02

  • “Art.4.- Les informations mentionnées dans l’étiquette du produit doivent comporter, obligatoirement, les renseignements suivants :”

    Loi n°2020-007 du 4 juin 2020 relative à la protection du consommateur, arts 3-4 · read 2026-11-02

  • “L’ensemble a été actualisé des textes publiés au Journal Officiel jusqu’au numéro 1596 du 30 décembre 2025.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “Art.4.- Toute personne qui exerce un métier pastoral est tenue de disposer d’une autorisation préalable d’exercice ou d’un certificat d’habilitation attribués par les services du Ministère chargé de l’Élevage.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

  • “L’aviculteur : Personne qui exploite une ferme spécialisée dans la production de volailles de chair ou pondeuses.”

    msgg.gov.mr · read 2026-11-02

What we couldn't confirm
  • Texts were read in the government's official consolidated collection (Codes usuels de Mauritanie 2026), updated to Journal Officiel no. 1596 of 30 December 2025; later changes were not checked.
  • Whether a household selling its own eggs needs the veterinary approval for places selling animal products, the hygiene certificate for food establishments or the livestock-trade authorization was not established; the order setting the conditions for that authorization (Arrêté conjoint n°0822 of 2017, Art. 6) was not found.
  • The health minister's order on food sold in markets (Hygiene Code, Art. 28) and the order on veterinary approvals (Decree 2016-154, Art. 2) were not found.
  • No storage temperature, carton, grading or washing rule for shell eggs was found in the national texts read.
  • Sanitary rules set by each Wilaya (Hygiene Code, Art. 2) and local orders (Art. 111) were not surveyed.

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