Farmers warned to look out for contaminated feed

Livestock farmers face an increased risk from feed grain contaminated with ergot, a fungal disease that can be toxic to animals or humans.

Ergot is a naturally occurring fungus spread by spores in the spring. If conditions are cool and wet, and this coincides with the point when cereal flowers are open, there is a heightened risk of grain being contaminated.

Reports have already been raised on some farms in the Lothians and Scottish borders, explains SAC Consulting’s Basil Lowman.

See also: Blackgrass blamed for ergot in wheat

“Our research colleagues running the SRUC Crop Clinic report receiving several samples from there with ergot. This would be consistent with their prolonged flowering season and local weather conditions then.”    

Grain processed for human consumption undergoes careful screening procedures and any crop containing more than 0.01 grams of ergot per kilogramme of grain is banned from the food chain by UK law. The warning from Dr Lowman is about crops being exclusively fed to livestock, particularly home-grown crops.

Heather Stevenson from SAC Consulting Veterinary Services says ergot poisoning is seen more frequently in cattle than in sheep and the most common form occurs where contaminated grain is fed over a long period. 

There is no treatment for ergot poisoning.

SAC Consulting stresses that ergots are extremely poisonous to humans, so farmers or staff handling affected grain should always wear gloves and a mask and be extremely careful with processing grain.

“There is evidence that grinding ergot and mixing it increases its toxicity,” warns Dr Lowman. “Where small amounts of contaminated grain have been fed it might be sensible to avoid processing and feed grain whole.”

While the best advice is NOT to feed grain contaminated with ergot to livestock, for farmers unsure of their exact position, SAC Consulting recommends a six-point approach to minimising any risk:

1. Assess as accurately as you can the level of contamination in the grain in terms of ergot pods per kg of grain. This can be most simply done by taking a dozen 1kg grain samples from all over the heap, spreading these out over a sheet of newspaper and counting the number of ergots (black heads).

2. Only feed to growing/finishing cattle, never to breeding cows or any sheep.

3. Never exceed the levels in the table below.

4. Always feed as little as possible, for example by feeding it to more animals. Never feed higher levels to fewer animals – this simply increases the risk.

5. Where possible do not process contaminated grain. Feed it whole. Always take full precautions when handling the grain – protective clothing, masks, etc.

6. Monitor stock closely and at the first signs of any of the symptoms stop feeding contaminated grain immediately.

Should farmers be seeking an alternative market for their contaminated crop. Dr Lowman believes one possibility might be as feed stock for an Aerobic Digester, to produce energy.