Can you sell backyard eggs in England?
Yes. Sell your own ungraded eggs to consumers at the farm gate, door to door or at a public market within 80 km; with up to 50 hens no egg stamp is needed at market. Register your birds. Shops need Class A eggs.
Read from 9 official sources29 passages quotedChecked October 7, 2026
At a glance
Licence
Registration
Small-flock line
No cap; up to 50 hens at markets
Farmers markets
With conditions
Cartons
Not stated
In plain English
England has no licence to sell eggs. A producer may sell their own hens' eggs ungraded, straight to the final consumer, on the production site, door to door, or at a local public market (a public market within 80 km of the production site), and the egg marketing rules then do not apply, apart from stamping at markets. With up to 50 laying hens you need not stamp eggs sold at a market if your name and address are shown at the stall; gov.uk also asks for a best-before date (up to 28 days from lay) and 'keep chilled' advice. Register your production site with APHA at 350 or more hens, or 50 or more hens selling at a market. Since 2024 every bird keeper in England must register their birds with APHA, whatever the flock size. Shops, caterers and restaurants can only take Class A eggs graded at an APHA-registered packing centre.
A sourced reading of England's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate (03000 200 301) before you sell.
Do you need a licence?
- Eggs sold without any quality or weight grading, directly to the final consumer by the producer, on the production site or by door-to-door selling in the region of production.SI 2009/2163 reg. 8(2)(a)
- Door-to-door selling means a sale made during an unsolicited visit by the producer to the consumer's home, another person's home, or the consumer's place of work.SI 2009/2163 reg. 2
- Local public market sales are also outside the rules except stamping: a public market within an 80 kilometre radius of the production site; a temporary market counts if it has at least five stalls and any notice under s. 37(2) Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 was given.SI 2009/2163 regs. 2, 8(2)(b)
- At a local public market, a producer with up to 50 laying hens need not stamp the producer code if their name and address are shown at the point of sale.SI 2009/2163 reg. 11(2)
- gov.uk guidance: at markets also display the best before date (maximum 28 days from lay) and advice to keep eggs chilled after purchase; some markets require stamping anyway.gov.uk Egg marketing standards
- Register the production site with APHA if you have 350 or more hens, have 50 or more hens and sell ungraded eggs at a local public market, or send eggs to a packing centre.gov.uk Egg marketing standards; form EMR02b
- Register your birds with APHA within one month of keeping them, whatever the number.Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006 reg. 7, substituted by SI 2024/558 art. 4; gov.uk
- Shops, catering outlets and restaurants need Class A eggs graded at an APHA-registered egg packing centre, which also needs local authority approval as a food business.gov.uk Egg marketing standards
- Salmonella testing is not required with fewer than 350 hens supplying directly to the consumer or through local retailers.gov.uk Egg marketing standards
The exact wording
Where you can sell
From home or the farm
Ungraded eggs sold by the producer directly to final consumers on the production site are outside the egg marketing rules (SI 2009/2163 reg. 8(2)(a)); no APHA egg-site registration under 350 hens. Your birds must be registered with APHA.
Farmers markets
Allowed at a 'local public market' (a public market within 80 km of the production site). Up to 50 laying hens: no stamp if your name and address are shown (reg. 11(2)); 50 or more hens: register with APHA and stamp the producer code. gov.uk also asks for a best-before date and 'keep chilled' advice. Some markets require stamping.
Stores and restaurants
Shops, catering outlets and restaurants need Class A eggs graded at an APHA-registered egg packing centre; the packing centre also needs local authority approval as a food business.
Also check with: Your local council's environmental health team (food business registration and market rules)
Cartons, labels and handling
Cartons
The sources we read don't set a carton rule.
Refrigeration
“Whilst eggs should not be chilled during marketing, to minimise risk to quality and safety that may arise due to temperature variations, eggs should be kept chilled once purchased by the final consumer to maximise quality.”
The label must show
- your name and address at the point of sale (market sales, up to 50 hens)
- best-before date, max 28 days from lay (market sales, gov.uk guidance)
- advice to keep eggs chilled after purchase (market sales, gov.uk guidance)
- no quality or weight grading terms
Grading
Ungraded sales are allowed only in some cases.
Ungraded eggs are allowed only when sold 'without any quality or weight grading, directly to the final consumer by the producer' on the production site, door to door, or at a local public market (SI 2009/2163 reg. 8(2)); everything sold to shops and caterers must be Class A from a packing centre.
Washing
Graded Class A eggs may not be washed: 'Class A eggs shall not be washed or cleaned, before or after grading (no exceptions apply in the UK).' No washing rule for ungraded eggs sold direct was found.
UK-wide rules apply on top of England's: the UK-wide egg rules. Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.
What changed recently
- 2024-10-01 · Bird registration became compulsory for every keeper in England, not just keepers of 50 or more: the Exotic Disease (Amendment) (England) Order 2024 (in force 25 April 2024) rewrote reg. 7 of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006; existing keepers had to notify APHA on or before 1 October 2024. Source
Common questions
- Do I need a licence to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in England?
- Yes. Sell your own ungraded eggs to consumers at the farm gate, door to door or at a public market within 80 km; with up to 50 hens no egg stamp is needed at market. Register your birds. Shops need Class A eggs. Small-flock line: no cap; up to 50 hens at markets. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
- Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in England?
- Allowed with conditions. Allowed at a 'local public market' (a public market within 80 km of the production site). Up to 50 laying hens: no stamp if your name and address are shown (reg. 11(2)); 50 or more hens: register with APHA and stamp the producer code. gov.uk also asks for a best-before date and 'keep chilled' advice. Some markets require stamping. Also check with your local council's environmental health team (food business registration and market rules).
- Can I reuse egg cartons in England?
- The sources we read do not say; ask Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
- What has to be on the carton label in England?
- your name and address at the point of sale (market sales, up to 50 hens), best-before date, max 28 days from lay (market sales, gov.uk guidance), advice to keep eggs chilled after purchase (market sales, gov.uk guidance), no quality or weight grading terms. The rule reads: "To sell your eggs at local public markets you must still display: your name your address the best before date (maximum of 28 days from date of lay) advice to keep eggs chilled after purchase"
- Do eggs I sell in England have to be kept cold?
- The rule reads: "Whilst eggs should not be chilled during marketing, to minimise risk to quality and safety that may arise due to temperature variations, eggs should be kept chilled once purchased by the final consumer to maximise quality."
- Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, regs. 2, 8(2), 11(2) · Definitions (door-to-door selling, local public market within 80 km, market); direct-sales exemption; no stamp at market for up to 50 laying hens
- Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, Annex VII Part VI (assimilated law) · Egg marketing standards the England regulations enforce: exemption (point I(2)) and marking (point III)
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 589/2008 (assimilated law) · Detailed rules: only packing centres grade; Class A quality, marking and best-before
- Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, reg. 7, as substituted by the Exotic Disease (Amendment) (England) Order 2024, SI 2024/558, art. 4 · Every keeper of poultry or other captive birds must register (notify APHA); extra details at 50 or more birds
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Art. 1 (assimilated law) · Food hygiene scope: excludes direct supply of small quantities of primary products
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · Egg marketing standards (England and Wales)
Read the 29 passages this page is built on
“where the eggs are sold, without any quality or weight grading, directly to the final consumer by the producer — … on the production site; or … by door-to-door selling in the region of production; or”
Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, regs. 2, 8(2), 11(2) · read 2026-10-07
“except insofar as it relates to the requirement imposed by point III(3) of … where the eggs are sold, without any quality or weight grading, directly to the final consumer by the producer in a local public market in the region of production.”
Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, regs. 2, 8(2), 11(2) · read 2026-10-07
“does not apply in the case of a producer with up to 50 laying hens if the name and address of the producer are indicated at the point of sale.”
Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, regs. 2, 8(2), 11(2) · read 2026-10-07
““door-to-door selling” means a sale which is made during an unsolicited visit by a producer to the final consumer's home, or to the home of another person, or to the final consumer's place of work;”
Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, regs. 2, 8(2), 11(2) · read 2026-10-07
““local public market”, in relation to eggs laid at a production site, means— … a public market that is within an 80 kilometre radius of the boundary of the production site; or”
Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, regs. 2, 8(2), 11(2) · read 2026-10-07
“comprising of a concourse of buyers and sellers of articles held otherwise than in a building or on a highway, with not less than five stalls … for which any notice required under section 37(2) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982”
Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, regs. 2, 8(2), 11(2) · read 2026-10-07
“They apply in England only. … There are currently no known outstanding effects for The Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009.”
Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/2163, regs. 2, 8(2), 11(2) · read 2026-10-07
“A person who keeps poultry or other captive birds at any premises must notify the Secretary of State in writing of the following information in relation to the premises”
“made in writing on or before 1 October 2024;”
“This Order may be cited as the Exotic Disease (Amendment) (England) Order 2024 and comes into force on 25th April 2024.”
legislation.gov.uk · read 2026-10-07
“You must register within one month of keeping poultry or other captive birds at any premises in England or Wales. … You’re breaking the law if you do not register.”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“You must register your premises with APHA if you: send any of your eggs for grading at a registered egg packing centre have 50 or more hens and you sell ungraded eggs at a local public market have 350 or more hens”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“To sell eggs to shops, catering outlets or restaurants you must also register your premises as an egg packing centre. Only egg packing centres can grade eggs. The eggs must be graded as Class A for retail and catering.”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“You do not need to stamp your eggs with a producer code if you: sell your eggs directly to consumers - for their own use - from your own farm or door to door in your local area have fewer than 50 birds and you sell at a local public market”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“To sell your eggs at local public markets you must still display: your name your address the best before date (maximum of 28 days from date of lay) advice to keep eggs chilled after purchase”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“Some markets have their own rule that you must stamp the producer code on hen eggs.”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“You do not have to comply with NCP testing if either: all the eggs you produce are for private domestic use you have fewer than 350 hens and you supply directly to the consumer or through local retailers”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“Last updated: 12 December 2023 … Applies to England and Wales”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“This form is for premises to apply for registration as an egg production establishment. This applies to premises which: have 350 or more hens have 50 or more hens and any of the eggs are marketed at local public markets produce eggs and any of these are then marketed to registered packing centres”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“If you have less than 350 hens and all the eggs you produce are sold directly to individual consumers at your farm gate or by door-to-door sales, you will not need to register with an APHA EMI.”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“If you sell some of your eggs at local public markets but have less than 50 hens then you will not need to register with an APHA EMI, but you will need to display labelling required under Food Information Regulations (name of the food, your name and address, best before date and advice to consumers to keep eggs chilled)”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“If you sell your eggs, for example to shops, restaurants or bakeries, they must first be graded as Class A and therefore you must also be approved and authorised as a packing centre.”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“Eggs must be kept clean, dry and out of direct sunshine at all times.”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“Class A eggs shall not be washed or cleaned, before or after grading (no exceptions apply in the UK).”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“Whilst eggs should not be chilled during marketing, to minimise risk to quality and safety that may arise due to temperature variations, eggs should be kept chilled once purchased by the final consumer to maximise quality.”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“within 60 miles of the production site whichever is the greater”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“Telephone: 03000 200 301”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
“This Regulation shall not apply to: … the direct supply, by the producer, of small quantities of primary products to the final consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying the final consumer;”
Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Art. 1 (assimilated law) · read 2026-10-07
“If you sell, cook, store, handle, prepare or distribute food, you may be considered a food business and will need to register with your local authority. … You are required to register at least 28 days before trading.”
Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Egg Marketing Inspectorate · read 2026-10-07
What we couldn't confirm
- Exactly 50 hens is unclear: reg. 11(2) exempts market sellers with 'up to 50 laying hens' from stamping, but gov.uk says register at '50 or more hens' and stamp with 'over 50 hens', no stamp with 'fewer than 50 birds'; APHA EMR01 says 'less than 50 hens' (registration) and 'unless the producer has 50 hens or less' (stamping).
- APHA EMR01 v8 (September 2026) 'Definitions within England' describes a local public market as within 60 miles or the county locality, with the region of production as the European election region. The current regulations on legislation.gov.uk say a public market within an 80 kilometre radius and regions listed in Schedule 5. The record follows the regulations.
- The gov.uk Egg marketing standards page (last updated 12 December 2023) still says keepers of fewer than 50 birds 'should' register; the 2024 Order makes it compulsory.
- Door-to-door selling is defined as a sale during an 'unsolicited visit'; whether pre-ordered deliveries, honesty boxes away from the farm, or online orders fit the exemption is not addressed in the England sources read.
- Food business registration: no FSA guidance specific to small egg sellers was found. Retained Regulation 852/2004 art. 1(2)(c) puts direct supply of small quantities of primary products outside the hygiene regulation; FSA says anyone selling food may need to register. Check with the local council.
- The best-before and 'keep chilled' display at markets comes from gov.uk and EMR01 (citing the Food Information Regulations); reg. 11(2) itself only requires name and address. The legal source was not traced.
- The Registration of Establishments (Laying Hens) (England) Regulations 2003 (the 350-hen registration duty) were not read directly; the threshold comes from gov.uk and APHA.
- No rule on reusing cartons for ungraded eggs sold direct was found.
- Only hen eggs are covered by the egg marketing rules; duck, goose and quail eggs were not researched for England.
Elsewhere in the United Kingdom
- Northern IrelandNo cap; up to 50 hens at marketsRegistration
- ScotlandNo cap; up to 50 hens at marketsRegistration
- WalesNo cap; up to 50 hens at marketsRegistration
All of the United Kingdom
Coloured by the small-flock licence rule, with the rules that apply everywhere in the United Kingdom.
UK overview →
Legal where you live? Then keep the books.
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