Revised egg marketing standards

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2464 amending Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as regards marketing standards for eggs

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards marketing standards for eggs, and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 589/2008

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2466 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards marketing standards for eggs

Update

The EU has published revised marketing standards for eggs. The new rules aim to align aspects of the marketing standards with EU sustainability goals, and to improve traceability by requiring eggs to be marked at farm level. These changes do not appear to have a significant impact on non-EU suppliers of eggs.

Impacted Products

eggs

What is changing?

The most significant changes in the new Regulations are as follows.

Marking of eggs

Regulation (EU) 2023/2464

Today eggs can be marked at the production site, or at the first packing centre to which they are delivered. Under the new rules marking may only take place at the production site.

• Eggs imported from non-EU countries must continue to mark the country of origin with its ISO 3166 country code.
• Where an exporting country’s marketing standards for eggs are evaluated by the Commission to be equivalent to the EU’s standards, eggs from that country will also be marked with a number equivalent to an EU producer code.
• Where non-EU countries do not have equivalent standards, eggs will, as today, be marked as “non-EU standard”.

Changes to existing marketing standards

Regulation (EU) 2023/2465

Regulation 589/2008 sets marketing standards for eggs, including classification criteria, marking and packing requirements, and farming and production methods. The new Regulation (which replaces Regulation 589/2008):

• removes the best before date for eggs (currently a maximum of 28 days)
• allows eggs from “free range” hens to be marketed as free range even if hens have been housed to prevent the spread of avian flu, aligning free range requirements with existing rules on organic eggs
• extends the permitted uses of open-air runs to allow farmers to install solar panels.

Why?

Marking is limited to the production site to prevent eggs from different farms and production systems being mixed and mislabelled, which could lead to traceability problems.

Changes to marketing standards address sustainability issues identified in the Farm to Fork Strategy, such as food waste and encouraging use of renewable energy.

Timeline

Regulations (EU) 2023/2465 2023/2466 apply from 28 November 2023.

Regulation (EU) 2023/2464 setting rules on mandatory marking of eggs at the production site for EU producers applies from 8 November 2024.

What are the major implications for exporting countries?

There are no significant implications for non-EU exporters of eggs.

Suppliers of eggs in countries with marketing standards equivalent to EU standards will have to mark eggs with producer codes. In 2021, these were Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Background

For more information see EU marketing standards explained.

Imports of shell eggs from non-EU countries are extremely limited due to import taxes, transportation costs, and challenges related to safety and quality (van Horne & Bondt 2023).

Resources

Sources