Agriculture Minister Gail Gago said the new regulations benefit consumers and producers, giving greater surety that eggs for sale have been produced in accordance with an agreed national standard.

“Producers are required to remove any cracked or dirty eggs from sale and they must put in place and maintain a food safety management statement,” Ms Gago said.

“They should be able to trace, if they are asked, where their eggs are sold to.

“While South Australian egg producers already maintain high standards, these new regulations will ensure greater consistency across the industry and give consumers more confidence in what they are buying.”

Producers must be accredited under the scheme if they have more than 50 laying birds and sell eggs.

“The regulations don’t apply to people with chooks in the back yard producing eggs for themselves if they are not selling them to food businesses,” Ms Gago said.

All states and territories agreed to adopt the national standard.

Producers are required to apply for accreditation with Biosecurity SA, adopt a food safety statement, comply with the standard and pay an annual fee.

More information is available on the PIRSA website: www.pir.sa.gov.au/eggs