NEW EU limits on mycotoxin contamination of grain will apply to crops for human consumption from next summer, prompting a call for UK growers to address the issue now to avoid marketing problems.

Limits for wheat, barley and oats were agreed by the European Commission earlier this month, explained Andrew Barnard, operations director for Grainfarmers and new president of the European trade association COCERAL.

“Farmers will need to demonstrate due diligence, because poor crop management and storage could affect their marketing,” he warned.

The new limits for the mycotoxin DON, which is produced by fusarium ear disease, aim to allay human health fears and animal disorders.

Since the new standards will come into force on 1 July 2006, some of this year‘s harvest may need to comply. Mr Barnard believes on-farm action can contain the problem.

Indeed, the changes could even make UK grain more attractive. While the DON standard ranges from 1250ppb in unprocessed grain to 200ppb in baby food, overseas producers can find their grain exceeds 5000pm.

By contrast, UK grain, even in last year‘s soggy harvest, did not produce significant levels of mycotoxin, he said.

That is noted by overseas buyers. “The UK leads the way in the wheat market, meeting consumer demands for quality assurance, hygiene and food safety,” said Paulo Cardoso of Portugese miller Moagem Ceres.

But care is needed to preserve the advantage, said Mr Barnard. Fusarium-susceptible varieties, more maize in the rotation, reduced tillage, an unexplained shift in fusarium species to more mycotoxin producers and weather favouring infection at flowering could all push levels higher.