Does a small farm need candling?

Yes, if it grades its own production destined for direct sale. In that case the farm carries out candling itself (RIISPOA, art. 20, § 1 and art. 223). A camera can support the sorting, but it does not replace that step.

Can a farm sell eggs to another establishment?

Yes. A poultry farm may sell eggs to an egg and egg-product processing unit (RIISPOA, art. 20, § 2). That unit is a different kind of establishment, which receives the eggs, candles them and grades them (art. 20, § 3).

Can a camera do the grading alone?

No, not candling. The camera sees the shell from outside, so it picks up visible dirt and cracks, but not hairline cracks or the air cell. Candling is still required (RIISPOA, art. 223), and the camera works as support before it.

Guide · Running the line

How do you grade eggs on a small farm?

A poultry farm that sells its own production directly does the candling and grading inside the establishment (RIISPOA, art. 20, § 1). It may also sell eggs to a processing unit. A camera can start with sorting out visible dirt and cracks, but it does not replace candling.

Updated October 9, 2026 · 3 min read

Does a small farm have to grade its eggs?

Yes, if it sells its own production directly. Under RIISPOA, a poultry farm is an establishment that produces, candles, grades, packs and dispatches eggs that come exclusively from its own production and are intended for direct sale (art. 20, § 1). These steps are carried out inside the farm.

RIISPOA also allows the farm to sell eggs to an egg and egg-product processing unit (art. 20, § 2). That unit receives the eggs, candles them and grades them (art. 20, § 3).

Which steps must grading cover?

RIISPOA describes four procedures: a general check of shell cleanliness and integrity, candling, grading of the eggs, and a check of hygiene and package integrity (art. 223). Establishments must also have facilities and equipment for candling and grading, taking into account the technological particularities of each one (art. 45).

Procedures set out in RIISPOA for egg establishments
Step	Basis
General check of shell cleanliness and integrity	RIISPOA, art. 223, I
Candling	RIISPOA, art. 223, II
Grading of the eggs	RIISPOA, art. 223, III
Check of hygiene and package integrity	RIISPOA, art. 223, IV

Class A requires, among other things, an air cell no higher than 6 mm that does not move (RIISPOA, art. 225, II). A surface camera does not see the air cell, which is only observed when candling.

Can a low-cost camera be the start of grading?

It can start with what the camera sees: visible dirt and cracks. It does not replace candling. Vigiovo works with any fixed camera above the conveyor, as long as the lighting is diffuse, and it runs on an ordinary CPU without a GPU.

A surface camera does not see hairline cracks or the air cell. Those defects still depend on candling or acoustic testing. See hairline crack in the glossary.

Where should a camera-based grading start?

Start with what is already mandatory: defining the flow for each type of egg and keeping candling. The camera comes in afterwards, as support for removing dirty and visibly cracked eggs before candling.

Define flows for clean, dirty and cracked eggs, and describe them in the self-control programme (Programa de Autocontrole) (MAPA FAQ, question 27).
Keep candling as its own step, without swapping it for the camera (RIISPOA, art. 223).
If grading runs along a conveyor, mount the camera above it, with diffuse lighting, to remove visible dirty and cracked eggs before candling.
Check the camera's results against your team's candling before you rely on them.

What if the farm also washes eggs?

If the farm washes eggs for industrial processing, washing must be entirely mechanical, at any size of establishment (MAPA FAQ, question 30). Cracked eggs must not be washed (question 28), and cracked eggs with a clean shell go to breaking, as described in clean cracked eggs: sending them to breaking.

The rules for flows and washing are in washing eggs for industrial processing.

Frequently asked questions

Does a small farm need candling?: Yes, if it grades its own production destined for direct sale. In that case the farm carries out candling itself (RIISPOA, art. 20, § 1 and art. 223). A camera can support the sorting, but it does not replace that step.
Can a farm sell eggs to another establishment?: Yes. A poultry farm may sell eggs to an egg and egg-product processing unit (RIISPOA, art. 20, § 2). That unit is a different kind of establishment, which receives the eggs, candles them and grades them (art. 20, § 3).
Can a camera do the grading alone?: No, not candling. The camera sees the shell from outside, so it picks up visible dirt and cracks, but not hairline cracks or the air cell. Candling is still required (RIISPOA, art. 223), and the camera works as support before it.

Sources

Decreto nº 9.013/2017 (RIISPOA), Presidência da República (Brasil)
Perguntas e respostas sobre a Portaria MAPA nº 612/2022 (versão de 05/06/2023), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA)

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