State Taking Precautions Against Aflatoxins

US - Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, today issued the following statement regarding the discovery of aflatoxin in corn grown in Northwest Iowa and Southeast South Dakota. To this point, discoveries have been limited to the Plymouth and Sioux county area and have only been found sporadically. The department has also been testing samples submitted from other areas.
calendar icon 18 October 2007
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“This discovery of aflatoxin is not completely unexpected and shows that elevators are prepared for it and taking the necessary precautions to make sure affected corn is used appropriately,” Northey said. “The levels it’s being found at are not especially high, and there is a lot of corn that it can be blended with to make sure it won’t cause any problems when fed to livestock. I think it’s important the public knows we’re aware of the situation and taking the necessary steps to make sure it doesn’t cause any health issues for animals or humans.”

Aflatoxins are a result of naturally occurring mold that can infest an ear of corn. Aflatoxins are harmful or fatal to livestock when consumed in high quantities and are considered carcinogenic to animals and humans. Hot, dry summers are most likely to produce aflatoxin infection, and the affected area was very dry before heavy rains began in mid August.

As a result of the recent reports, area elevators have been testing loads received from at risk areas.

The FDA has approved corn with an aflatoxin level of less than 300 parts per billion (ppb) for use in cattle feed, less than 200 ppb in hog feed and less than 100 ppb for breeding beef cattle, hogs and mature poultry. Levels of less than 20 ppb are allowed for young animals and corn with an unknown destination. The FDA does not allow any level of aflatoxin in milk.

Source: Sioux City Journal
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