Is downgrading from A to B mandatory in Brazil?

Not for commercial reasons. According to MAPA (question 33), downgrading from A to B for commercial reasons is the company's decision. When a company decides to adopt it, it must describe the practice in its self-control programme and in the production flow for Class B eggs.

Does the European rule apply in Brazil?

No. The rule that a Class A egg which loses its characteristics must be downgraded to Class B is in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465, art. 3(2), and applies in the European Union. It helps explain the logic of downgrading, but it does not define what Brazil requires.

Can a dirty or cracked egg be downgraded to Class B?

Not as a commercial downgrade. According to MAPA (question 5), an egg that is dirty and cracked at the same time has no use for human food and must be discarded straight away. The guide on dirty eggs covers the other cases.

Guide · Running the line

How do you downgrade an egg from Class A to Class B?

Downgrading an egg from Class A to Class B means moving it to the class that goes for processing, after it was graded as Class A. In Brazil, downgrading for commercial reasons is the company's decision, and it must be described in the self-control programme and in the production flow for Class B eggs. In the European Union the rule is mandatory: a Class A egg that loses those characteristics becomes Class B.

Updated October 9, 2026 · 4 min read

What does it mean to downgrade an egg from A to B?

Downgrading moves an egg from the Class A category to the Class B category. The egg is still fit for use, but it is no longer sold as A and follows the destination of Class B. The Class B eggs guide covers the defects that lead to this class and where it goes.

In Brazil, downgrading for commercial reasons is the company's decision. The difference between the two categories is set out in Class A vs Class B eggs.

Who decides on a downgrade in Brazil?

MAPA answers that downgrading from A to B for commercial reasons is the company's decision (question 33). The company decides whether to adopt the downgrade and under which conditions.

When it is adopted, the decision must be described in the self-control programme and in the production flow recorded for Class B eggs in the PGA-SIGSIF system. Without that description, an audit has nowhere to check the decision.

What does the European rule require?

In the European Union the rule is different: Class A eggs that no longer have the characteristics of Class A shall be downgraded to Class B (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465, art. 3(2)). This is not a commercial choice. The Class A characteristics are set out in art. 3(1), including a normal, clean and undamaged shell and an air space of no more than 6 mm that is stationary.

This rule applies in the European Union. It helps explain the logic of downgrading, but it does not define what Brazilian law requires.

How does the 10-day rule work?

In the European Union, eggs not marked within 10 days after laying are Class B (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465, art. 3(2)). This is a time rule, separate from downgrading for loss of characteristics: an egg can have every Class A characteristic and still fall to Class B if it misses the deadline.

For the line, the practical point is to control the time between laying and marking. That depends on the farm's routine and on dispatch, not on a camera that grades the egg once it reaches the conveyor.

How do you record a downgrade that has been adopted?

For each downgrade that is adopted, follow these steps:

Record the batch and the period that were downgraded.
Record the commercial reason in a way that another person can understand.
Record the production flow for Class B eggs, as described in the self-control programme.
Record who approved the decision and when it was made.

These records feed the shift quality report, which shows the share of eggs in each class. A dirty or cracked egg is not a case of commercial downgrading: it follows the destination of its own defect, as described in the guide on dirty eggs.

What does Vigiovo record for this control?

Vigiovo separates each egg as clean, dirty, cracked or unverified, and records the class, the reason and the measurements behind each decision. It has no Class B, and the commercial downgrade is not a decision the system makes. If a company adopts a downgrade, the per-egg record shows what the camera decided, but the commercial decision needs the company's own record.

To see how those decisions are made, read how Vigiovo grades eggs without AI.

Frequently asked questions

Is downgrading from A to B mandatory in Brazil?: Not for commercial reasons. According to MAPA (question 33), downgrading from A to B for commercial reasons is the company's decision. When a company decides to adopt it, it must describe the practice in its self-control programme and in the production flow for Class B eggs.
Does the European rule apply in Brazil?: No. The rule that a Class A egg which loses its characteristics must be downgraded to Class B is in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465, art. 3(2), and applies in the European Union. It helps explain the logic of downgrading, but it does not define what Brazil requires.
Can a dirty or cracked egg be downgraded to Class B?: Not as a commercial downgrade. According to MAPA (question 5), an egg that is dirty and cracked at the same time has no use for human food and must be discarded straight away. The guide on dirty eggs covers the other cases.

Sources

Perguntas e respostas sobre a Portaria MAPA nº 612/2022 (versão de 05/06/2023), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA)
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465, marketing standards for eggs, EUR-Lex

How Vigiovo helps

Vigiovo grades eggs on the conveyor as clean, dirty, cracked or unverified, in real time, with deterministic computer vision: every decision comes with the measurements behind it, on an ordinary CPU.

See how it works