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Egg producers in Saskatchewan are scrambling for a solution to proposed amendments to Food Safety Regulations.
The Regina Farmers’ Market put out a statement opposing the amendment from the Saskatchewan Government, saying it will directly impact egg producers.
It said, “Amendment 6 modifies Section 22 to require that all food sold by ‘food distributors’ comes from ‘approved sources.'”
According to the market, this change would prohibit vendors from selling ungraded farm eggs, “despite no new safety concerns or evidence to justify their restriction.”
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The change will directly impact Pam Miller and her farm Miller’s By-Gone Farm near Whitewood.
“There’s a lot of customers that come just for eggs, so we will lose the whole customer base that comes expecting them,” she said.
The Miller By-Gone Farm raises cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and chickens and grows different kinds of produce, grain and forage. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
About 80 per cent of her customers come looking for eggs.
This especially hurts Miller after she just put a new investment into her farm — a barn for more chickens.
She said there’s a big demand for eggs at the market and she always sells out.
Miller’s been selling her eggs at market for 14 years and has owned chickens for around 35 years. She said there’s never been a problem in the past.
“We do have a set of rules that we follow from the SHA,” she said.
“Eggs have to be cleaned, they cannot be cracked, and they have to be kept in a cooler — and we follow all those rules. Every year the health inspector has come and checked my eggs, and there has never been a problem.”
When shopping local is more important than ever before because of U.S. tariffs and U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to Canadian sovereignty, Miller said this is simply another roadblock for consumers.
“They want to support local and they want to support animals being raised in a healthy environment,” she said. “So it affects them as much as me.”
The market is calling for members of the public to fill out the Ministry of Health survey to oppose the changes and help small producers have their voices heard.
The survey is open until April 2.
Pam Miller’s eggs come in different colours because she has different kinds of chickens. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Ministry of Health says there’s no impact
In a statement from the Ministry of Health, it said the proposed amendments to the Food Safety Regulations are intended to clarify current legislation and modernize language and “do not change current requirements with respect to the sale of eggs at Farmers’ and Public Markets.”
The Food Safety Regulations are enforced by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
“Eggs sold to the public at farmers’ or public markets must be inspected prior to sale, as they are classified as potentially hazardous foods,” the statement read.
According to the ministry, under the current regulations egg producers are allowed to sell uninspected eggs directly to a consumer, but not at a farmers’ or other public market.
During its indoor season, the Farmers’ Market can be found at the Banner Hall in the REAL District. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Regina Farmers’ Market disagrees
Holly Laird, Executive Director at Regina Farmers’ Market, said the statement from the government was surprising.
While she appreciates the clarifying changes, they come with unintended consequences for egg producers at the market.
“The claim that ungraded eggs have never been permitted for sale at the farmers’ market is wrong,” she explained.
Laird said the farmers’ market is a place for people to connect with their producers, ask questions and buy high quality, fresh products. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Laird said the market works very closely with the SHA and all products go through a safety process before being approved for sale, including eggs.
She said the market has had the public health inspector approving egg vendors for going on 50 years.
“It seems to me like there’s a disconnect between the regulations that the Ministry of Health is putting out and how they’re being enforced by the Saskatchewan Health Authority,” Laird said.
“From our perspective, our health inspector told us that if these changes go through, they would no longer be able to allow for eggs to be sold at farmers’ markets.”
She hopes the government isn’t intentionally trying to target small farms and farmers’ markets through the changes.
“I think that this is a time when people are looking to spend their dollars local and support local food,” she said.
“The timing of this really isn’t great, and to add more barriers to people shopping local shouldn’t be the ultimate result of regulation.”
However, she said the market has seen a spike in support, especially during its slowest season between January and March.
She hopes people can show continued support by taking part in the Ministry of Health’s survey.
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