Pastured eggs

Some egg sellers describe their hens as pastured or pasture-raised. Caterers, shops and bakers who buy eggs by the tray often ask what that means. The answer starts with the words the law allows on an egg box.

The words on the box

UK egg marketing rules allow only a few terms to name the farming method. They are "Free range eggs", "Barn eggs" and "Eggs from caged hens", plus the organic terms. A box may add "Enriched cages" to the last of these.

"Pasture-raised" is not one of those terms, and the rules give it no definition. "Free range" does have a definition.

What free range requires

Free-range hens must have continuous daytime access to open-air runs. A farmer may hold them back for a short time in the morning. The runs must be mainly covered with vegetation.

A run may hold no more than 2,500 hens per hectare, or one hen for every 4 square metres. No part of it may lie more than 150 metres from the nearest pophole.

When birds are kept indoors

During a bird flu outbreak, the government can order poultry to be kept indoors. Since 23 January 2025, eggs marketed in England can still be called free range while such an order keeps the hens inside. Scotland and Wales set their own rules.

The code on the shell

Class A eggs carry a producer code. Its first digit gives the farming method: 0 for organic, 1 for free range, 2 for barn and 3 for cage. A country code follows, and then a number for the farm itself. The code lets anyone trace an egg back to where it was laid.

Eggs sold to shops, caterers and restaurants must be graded as Class A at a registered packing centre. Inspectors from the Animal and Plant Health Agency check farms and packing centres in England and Wales.

Organic and assurance schemes

The Soil Association sets its own organic standards. Its flocks hold no more than 3,000 hens, and each hen has at least 10 square metres outdoors. That compares with 4 square metres under the free-range rules.

RSPCA Assured eggs must meet more than 800 welfare standards, and the scheme allows no cages. The British Lion scheme covers over 90% of UK eggs. Its hens are vaccinated against salmonella, and its hens, eggs and feed can be traced.

Storing eggs

The government's food fact checker says eggs belong in a cool, dry place, ideally the fridge. Sudden changes of temperature are best avoided. The best before date goes on the egg or on the box.

The egg industry's own advice is to keep eggs below 20°C, away from raw meat. Dirty, cracked or broken eggs should not be used.

Buying in quantity

To ask about buying eggs in quantity, write to pasturedeggs.

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