organic eggs directly from the farm Dublin

cargen

Hi

do you know where I could buy fresh organic eggs directly from the farm near Dublin?

thanks

_Brian

I'd say you would get free range easy enough. But organic could be hard to source.

micraX

What are organic eggs? We sell free range from our farm shop in lusk but I wouldn't call them organic.

Maphisto

I wonder what organic actually means too.

If you see the way chickens dig about in all sorts of $hoite. If they're free range they could eat anything. We have to stop ours eating the little bubbles of expanded polystyrene.

I suppose to be trully organic they would have to be kept in cages? Be interested to find out.

micraX

Maphisto wrote: »

I wonder what organic actually means too.

If you see the way chickens dig about in all sorts of $hoite. If they're free range they could eat anything. We have to stop ours eating the little bubbles of expanded polystyrene.

I suppose to be trully organic they would have to be kept in cages? Be interested to find out.

Yeah that's what I mean like they do be all over the place, you wouldn't know what they are eating.

Oldtree

Maphisto wrote: »

I wonder what organic actually means too.

If you see the way chickens dig about in all sorts of $hoite. If they're free range they could eat anything. We have to stop ours eating the little bubbles of expanded polystyrene.

I suppose to be trully organic they would have to be kept in cages? Be interested to find out.

Here are the requirements:

http://www.organicguide.ie/organic_certification

Maphisto

Oldtree wrote: »

Here are the requirements:

http://www.organicguide.ie/organic_certification

Thanks, I'm up to page 15 of the 208 page document of standards. It's not what I'd call a fun read.

I know of several people advertising "Organic Eggs" nearby, that I'd put money on have never seen this

Kovu

Maphisto wrote: »

Thanks, I'm up to page 15 of the 208 page document of standards. It's not what I'd call a fun read.

I know of several people advertising "Organic Eggs" nearby, that I'd put money on have never seen this

The rules could be summarised into something like this;

1) The poultry must be fed organic feed - the organic feed musty be grown by certified organic farmers; the crop must be free of genetically modified organisms

2) The poultry must live cage-free with access to outdoors and be able to lay their eggs where they want to.

3) Poultry can not be fed low-level antibiotics regularly - antibiotics are only allowed during an outbreak of infection.

4) Organic egg producers do not induce molting; the birds go into a natural molt.

5) Must abide by humane treatment of the poultry (five freedoms act etc)

Base price

.Kovu. wrote: »

The rules could be summarised into something like this;

1) The poultry must be fed organic feed - the organic feed musty be grown by certified organic farmers; the crop must be free of genetically modified organisms

2) The poultry must live cage-free with access to outdoors and be able to lay their eggs where they want to.

3) Poultry can not be fed low-level antibiotics regularly - antibiotics are only allowed during an outbreak of infection.

4) Organic egg producers do not induce molting; the birds go into a natural molt.

5) Must abide by humane treatment of the poultry (five freedoms act etc)

Very dubious point.
I think people need to educate themselves on the terms that are used. I always understood that "free range" implied that the hens were running around the place happy as pigs in sh..... Apparently not so.
In fact under EU rules the term Free Range is completely different to my and most other peoples understanding. The hens only have to have limited access/time to the outdoors/daylight all be it a limited space and that space could be a concrete yard.
Under the same EU rules the term "Free to Roam" is applicable to my and most peoples understanding of what "Free Range" actually is.
I have only ever seen eggs labelled "Free to Roam" for sale in a specialist food shop in Dublin.
Cargen, my advise is to get a few hens to supply your own requirements. Unless you live in an apartment you should be able to keep a few hens in most urban gardens with appropriate coop and run . However DCC have a rule that prevents the keeping of roosters/cockerels and ducks/geese in urban areas.
If you have your own hens, you can control what supplementary food they eat, be it organic or not.
Nothing better than having a fresh egg layed by one of your own hens for brekkie.
If you need any advice about keeping your own hens there is a great sub forum to this one, called Smallholding.
Also you can pm me if you wish.

Kovu

As far as I know (am open to correction) the Irish regulations state that hens must have continuous day time access to open-air runs situated on ground which is mainly covered with vegetation. The maximum stocking density is not greater than 1,000 hens per hectare of ground available to the hens and the land must be dedicated to the free range flock, so no other animals can graze it. The hens must be accommodated in a well constructed insulated house with a floor space of one square metre per seven birds.

I honestly don't buy eggs in supermarkets so I never really have to look into these things.

Maphisto

.Kovu. wrote: »

As far as I know (am open to correction) the Irish regulations state that hens must have continuous day time access to open-air runs situated on ground which is mainly covered with vegetation. The maximum stocking density is not greater than 1,000 hens per hectare of ground available to the hens and the land must be dedicated to the free range flock, so no other animals can graze it. The hens must be accommodated in a well constructed insulated house with a floor space of one square metre per seven birds.

I honestly don't buy eggs in supermarkets so I never really have to look into these things.

Sorry this is OT but we have three houses, the smallest is probably just under 1sqm, so where do 40+ hens all pile into at night? The smallest house :cool:

cargen

so, no farms near Dublin where I could get organic eggs?

Base price

cargen wrote: »

so, no farms near Dublin where I could get organic eggs?

Maybe best to contact the Dept of Agri and ask if there are any organic egg producers licensed to sell to the public.

Kovu

cargen wrote: »

so, no farms near Dublin where I could get organic eggs?

Try looking for farmers markets, that would be your best bet. Even chatting to people at them you may find out which farms sell eggs direct.

http://www.rte.ie/tv/farmersmarket/pdf/farmers_markets.pdf

or

http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/aboutfood/farmersmarkets/Pages/default.aspx

gingernut79

From IOFGA database
John Downey & Son,
Mark Downey,
97 Terenure Road East,
Terenure,
Dublin 6,
Co Dublin. (GPS) 01-490 9239
087 410 9254 Organic Symbol:
Chicken; Eggs; Organic Beef; Organic Lamb.
Processor

Oldtree

Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=90947329

Amazingfun

Organic : http://www.organicguide.ie/find?filter0=Dublin&filter1=4