TO REACH and maintain the highest quality and freshness possible, local egg producers the Potter family rear organic free-range hens and pack their eggs themselves.

And, in what is believed to be a unique move, they also raise their own stock from day old free-range organic chicks.

"We like to guarantee that our eggs go from hen to store shelves in three days," said Adrian Potter.

The family firm is actually three businesses: J R and S J Potter, free range eggs; Yorkshire Farmhouse at Village Farm, Catton, near Thirsk, which, as well as producing eggs, is the packing station, and the newest operation, Fairfield Organics, a producer of organic eggs at Littlethorpe, near Ripon.

The idea for the business came from mum, Susan Potter, and, with her husband, Roger, it was put into action with 200 hens in 1981.

At that time, the family did not think their arable farm could produce the standard of living they wanted. Now two of their sons, James, 29, who runs the packing station and Adrian, 27, have joined the family firm. All are equal partners.

The company employs about 30 people and the eggs are sold nationally.

Adrian, who showed the D&S round both farms, has been allocated the marketing and sales role - "the only slot left when I joined to firm from a career in IT," he said.

Organic farming brings with it much stricter conditions and regulations, but the company is keen to produce the best Yorkshire eggs ever.

Each plot used by the flock has to be rested for nine months in every 13.

The farm near Ripon was bought four years ago. The 150 acres are shared by the 24,000 organic hens and an organic herd owned by a neighbouring farmer.

As it is a beautiful site out in the country, the family hopes, once all building work has finished, to bring it to a higher level environmentally as part of the stewardship scheme.

As it is now, several hen sheds, each housing 2,000 hens, are dotted about the fields and the hens can stay inside the modern sheds, sit on a special veranda out of the rain and cold, or peck and rummage in the field.

They come and go as they please," said Adrian.

As the firm farms the hens and packs all the eggs, it knows how fresh they are. Supermarkets, local delis and restaurants do too, and are among the biggest customers.

The firm is so confident of organic free range farming that it has begun a two-year £1m investment plan.

The on-farm pack-house at Catton is being extended to British Retail Consortium higher level certification. The new pack-house is now equipped with a £300,000 Diamond grading line and related packaging equipment to handle a throughput of up to 350,000 dozen eggs a month - 20pc up on last year.

In addition, a £250,000 investment at Fairfield, where 14,000 birds are reared, includes new mobile laying and rearing houses to allow full organic management of the birds from day-old chicks to the end of the laying period.

The investment is aided by a 30pc Defra grant.

"We have now completed the first phase of the plan and have set out to have one of the most modern pack-houses in the UK to continue the high levels of product and service that we put into egg producing," said Adrian. "We are one of very few farms dedicated primarily to producing free-range organic eggs from start to finish. Bird welfare and freshness is our constant aim."

Organic farming was definitely a niche and growing market, he said, hence the family's commitment to investment.

"We are pioneers really and can guarantee that our eggs are of the highest standard in the world. We are very proud of our product."