Laws for selling eggs???

[Da Chicken Guy]

Can anyone help me with Ohio laws for selling eggs both on and off my farm? And, where is the best place to research the local ordinances? Thanks for your help, you people are great!

 

[Glos Girls]

Love Love Love this wonderful site

This is just what I was looking for this morning. We have some time before they start laying but wanted to have the info before that time comes. We will only be selling from home, so no worries. I did not know if a permit was needed or not. Thank you for all of the info. We will know what is needed if a farmers market is in our future.

 

[viper125]

Well I got a sign out front and an add on craigs list. I also sell to friends and family. If in Ohio and your selling from your chickens you raise. And from your home you are excluded from the laws. There is a limit of like 1000 birds. But I'll never have that many. And i have no reason to go out commercially and sell. So the laws dont mean anything to me. I do know any one can take them to the auction and sell and never be bothered around here and many sales if interested. Eggs from a private owner will never be an issue, THeir after the big farms who skip over all the taxes and work undercover.

 

[araeihrig]

This was the perfect article to come across! Thank you guys!

 

[dwhitern11]

Current law states that farmers who wish to sell eggs produced on their farm are exempt from retail food licensing requirements, so long as those eggs are sold directly on the farm where they are produced or at a registered farm product auction, and the producer maintains 500 or fewer birds annually. Farmers only need to have a free inspection done by ODA to legally sell their own eggs in this situation. The same exemption does not exist, however, for those selling their own eggs at a registered farmers’ market. In order to legally sell their own eggs at a farmers’ market, a producer must obtain a temporary or mobile retail food establishment license from their local health district, in addition to having the free ODA inspection performed. Handling and storage requirements and the costs for these licenses vary widely, but often are prohibitive to a farmer looking to direct market their products.

 

[ams3651]

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/925

 

[Da Chicken Guy]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[PortageGirl]

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/925.10 Here's the important one for most of us!

925.10 Exempted producers.
Producers selling only shell eggs of their own hens’ production on the premises where produced or selling directly to hatcheries are exempted from sections 925.01 to 925.13 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 06-20-1994

[edit] NOTE: I asked a local farmer who attends our local farmer's market with her eggs, and she said she hasn't had any trouble there, but since she is present at the booth, and doesn't sell in bulk to a 'middle man' she feels fairly secure about it. That's just FYI though, not actually in the laws that I could find.

 

[Da Chicken Guy]

Very helpful, thank you.

 

[pwyll]

What did you find out about selling eggs offsite. I have 300 layers and am trying to sell at farmers markets unfortunatly there seem to be a lot of misinformationout there and I didn't see what I needed to fin out inthe ohio codes. I know someone who sells eggs but he was forced by the Greene co health inspector to purchase a battery powered comercial refrigerator which I'm told by other people selling eggs is not required by law but that the Health department inspector who demanded this didn't know what he was talking about. I personally had some problems with this inspector and his imaginary laws when selling artisan bread so I'm inclined to be sceptical of his "information". We have a new inspector, supposedly the old one was replaced, some peopole told me it was because of the issues we had with him but I can't get this new inspector to answer any questions and I'm reluctant to take my eggs out just to get shut down time and again, Its already happened a couple of times and I still don't know what I'm supposed to do.

The person who was required to by the refrigerator claims its a requirement but I think he is trying to discourage me. Other people have told me that a cooler, kept to under 45 degrees with a comercial thermometer is acceptable. Maybe this is a county by county thing, I can't seem to find out. The other issue is about required permits

Well if you found out anything about all this please let me know