Egg marketing inspection
Information for egg producers about inspections the Animal and Plant Health Agency carries out on eggs, production facilities and records.
Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales
Who gets inspected
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) inspects all premises that apply for egg production, packaging or wholesale registration.
What gets inspected
APHA inspects:
- eggs to confirm ‘class’ and size or weight category
- production premises to confirm ‘free range’
APHA checks your records for:
- Salmonella National Control Programme
- density of egg production
- flock mortality
- welfare-related information
Find out more about the role of egg marketing inspectors.
Time and length
How often APHA inspects you depends on how compliant you are:
- twice a year for non-compliant premises
- once a year if you’re compliant
- once every 2 years if you’re a small, low-risk packing premises
Inspections for packers take 3 to 4 hours. Inspections for producers take an hour and a half.
All inspections are unannounced.
What happens next
If you’re issued with a contravention notice you’ll get a follow up inspection. If you’re a repeat offender APHA will refer you to Defra Investigations Services (DIS).
If you break a compliance notice that you’re issued with, you’ll be referred to DIS.