National rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Slovenia?

Rules as of 2023 (later changes unchecked): eggs from up to 350 hens, supplied directly at the place of production to consumers or shops, need no food-business registration. Selling elsewhere needs it.

Read from 7 official sources29 passages quotedChecked October 29, 2026

At a glance

License

Not needed (rules as of 2023)

Small-flock line

Daily output of up to 350 laying hens, at the place of production

Farmers markets

With conditions (rules as of 2023)

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

As listed on 27 October 2023 (later changes not checked), Slovenia's 2014 small-quantity rules let you supply eggs directly at the place of production, to final consumers or to retail establishments that supply final consumers, if the eggs are the daily output of a flock of up to 350 laying hens. Establishments that keep within those conditions do not have to register as food establishments; other food establishments are registered with UVHVVR.

A sourced reading of the rules in Slovenia, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Uprava Republike Slovenije za varno hrano, veterinarstvo in varstvo rastlin (UVHVVR, Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection) before you sell.

Do you need a license?

No food-business registration for small direct sales (rules as of 2023)Daily output of up to 350 laying hens, at the place of production
  • The flock must be in good general health with no disease passing to people through eggs, and the hens must not have received prohibited or unauthorised substances or be in a withdrawal period.small-quantity rules art. 7(2)
  • Until supplied, keep the eggs in clean, dry rooms protected from direct sunlight and pests, and supply them to the final consumer within 21 days of laying.art. 7(2)
  • The registration exemption covers primary-production establishments that place small quantities on the market and meet the small-quantity conditions (registration rules art. 3(4)). Every other establishment is registered with UVHVVR, applying before it starts operating (arts 3(1) and 4(1)); for operators already entered in the farmed-animal records, UVHVVR enters the establishment in the register itself.art. 3(2)-(3)
  • Keeping poultry has its own register: see the keeping section below.
  • These rules are quoted from the 2014 gazette text and the legal information system as it stood on 27 October 2023; later changes were not checked.
The exact wording
“(1) Majhna količina jajc, namenjenih neposredni oddaji na mestu pridelave končnemu potrošniku ali obratu prodaje na drobno, ki neposredno oskrbuje končnega potrošnika, je količina jajc, ki jo dnevno proizvede jata do 350 nesnic.”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

With conditions

Under the 2014 small-quantity rules as listed on 27 October 2023 (later changes not checked), you may supply eggs within the small quantities directly to final consumers at the place of production (art. 7(1)), keeping to the conditions in art. 7(2).

Farmers markets

With conditions

Under the 2014 rules as listed on 27 October 2023 (later changes not checked), the small-quantity definition covers supply at the place of production only, so selling at a market means a registered establishment (registration rules art. 3(1)). Under the egg quality rules (2008 text), an operator with 50 or fewer laying hens selling directly to final consumers at any market in Slovenia need not apply the EU egg marketing rules if the producer's name and address are shown at the place of sale (art. 2(1)-(2)).

Stores and restaurants

With conditions

Under the 2014 small-quantity rules as listed on 27 October 2023 (later changes not checked), within the small quantities you may also supply, from the place of production, retail establishments that supply final consumers directly (art. 7(1)). Restaurants are not named in these rules.

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

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

Refrigeration

A numeric storage temperature was not found in the small-quantity rules read (arts 1, 7 and 17). Under those 2014 rules as listed on 27 October 2023 (later changes not checked), eggs are kept until supplied in clean, dry rooms protected from direct sunlight and pests (art. 7(2)).

The label must show

  • At a market, an operator with 50 or fewer laying hens shows the producer's name and address at the place of sale (egg quality rules art. 2(1), 2008 text).

Grading

Ungraded sales are allowed only in some cases.

The egg quality rules (2008 text) say the EU egg marketing rules need not be applied to eggs a food business operator sells directly to the final consumer at the place of production, or that an operator with 50 or fewer laying hens sells directly at a Slovenian market with the producer's name and address shown (art. 2(1)).

Washing

A washing rule was not found in the small-quantity rules read (arts 1, 7 and 17).

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

Keeping chickens in Slovenia? →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 Slovenia, and do I need a license?
Rules as of 2023 (later changes unchecked): eggs from up to 350 hens, supplied directly at the place of production to consumers or shops, need no food-business registration. Selling elsewhere needs it. Small-flock line: daily output of up to 350 laying hens, at the place of production. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Slovenia?
Allowed with conditions. Under the 2014 rules as listed on 27 October 2023 (later changes not checked), the small-quantity definition covers supply at the place of production only, so selling at a market means a registered establishment (registration rules art. 3(1)). Under the egg quality rules (2008 text), an operator with 50 or fewer laying hens selling directly to final consumers at any market in Slovenia need not apply the EU egg marketing rules if the producer's name and address are shown at the place of sale (art. 2(1)-(2)).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Slovenia?
The sources we read do not say; ask Uprava Republike Slovenije za varno hrano, veterinarstvo in varstvo rastlin (UVHVVR, Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection) before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Slovenia?
At a market, an operator with 50 or fewer laying hens shows the producer's name and address at the place of sale (egg quality rules art. 2(1), 2008 text). The rule reads: "nosilec živilske dejavnosti, ki ima v reji 50 ali manj kokoši nesnic, proda na lokalni tržnici neposredno končnemu potrošniku, če ima na mestu prodaje navedeno ime in naslov proizvajalca."
Do eggs I sell in Slovenia have to be kept cold?
In short: A numeric storage temperature was not found in the small-quantity rules read (arts 1, 7 and 17). Under those 2014 rules as listed on 27 October 2023 (later changes not checked), eggs are kept until supplied in clean, dry rooms protected from direct sunlight and pests (art. 7(2)).
Sources
Read the 29 passages this page is built on
What we couldn't confirm
  • Slovenia's legal information system (PIS RS) could not be read in its current form; the rules are quoted from the 2014 gazette text and from archived copies of the system's pages from 2023 (27 October 2023 for the small-quantity and registration rules, 3 December 2023 for the egg quality rules, 2 April 2023 for the farmed-animal protection rules). Later changes were not checked.
  • The egg quality rules were changed in 2014 (Uradni list RS, št. 26/14 – ZKme-1B); that change was not read, and the 2008 text still refers to EU egg regulations that have since been replaced.
  • Rules on cartons and egg labels for small-quantity sales at the farm were not found in the small-quantity rules read (arts 1, 7 and 17).
  • Whether any bird-flu order applies now, and where, is not shown here; check UVHVVR's avian influenza page.

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