Sask. government says ungraded eggs can now be sold at farmers' markets

The Saskatchewan government has walked back a recently proposed change that would have prohibited the sale of ungraded eggs at farmers' markets.

The province recently announced several amendments to the province's food safety regulations. One of the changes would have made it against the rules to sell ungraded eggs at farmers' and public markets. Farmers who sell eggs and a representative from the Regina Farmers' Market (RFM) said that would effectively end all farm fresh egg sales at markets.

In an emailed statement Tuesday, the province said it is walking back that change.

"The Minister of Health has directed that there will not be any need for the grading of eggs sold direct from farmer to consumer at Saskatchewan Farmers' markets," the statement said.

"This will ensure that the Ministry of Health and the [Saskatchewan Health Authority] maintain a common sense approach to food safety, specific to eggs."

Before the announced changes, Holly Laird, executive director of the RFM, said ungraded eggs have been sold at the market for decades.

"We represent over 100 local farmers and producers and so we do have several that bring farm fresh eggs right to the farmers market and have done so for 50 years, " she said, noting that they work with closely with health inspectors.

"Vendors are required to label their washed eggs with the harvest date and keep them refrigerated/on ice at the farmers' market."

'My customers love my eggs'

Pam Miller of Miller By-Gone Farm has been selling her eggs at the Regina Farmers' Market for more than a decade. 

"My customers love my eggs," Miller said. "My customers love the fact that they can talk directly to the person who produced those eggs, so it gives them one-on-one relationships with the farmer." 

Miller had worried the new regulations would drastically reduce her customer base.

"I'm in rural Saskatchewan so I can sell from my farm, but the amount of customers that will come out to my farm is quite small compared to all of the customers I can reach in the city."