New guidance on tackling toxic ergots in the UK, following a review of the landmark industry, aims to protect grain quality, reduce food waste and protect public health.
A major review of ergo management in UK cereals will generate updates and enhancement guidance from AHDB, providing growers with clearer strategies to limit disease pressure, protect grain quality and increase food safety.
The review, led by Adas, assesses a wide range of evidence, including academic literature and industry insights, and refines and integrates best practices for managing Claviceps Purpurea, the toxic fungal pathogen behind Ergot.
The findings published on the AHDB website and detailed in Research Review 102 highlight four key management strategies that cover different stages of the Ergot lifecycle.
They are designed to help farmers reduce crop infections and meet increasingly stringent grain quality standards.
Ergos occur when fungi infect grains during flowering, replacing grains with a hard, dark, toxic structure known as ergos. Intake by humans and livestock can cause serious poisoning.
The UK will implement strict contractual restrictions on feed grain ergot and maintain zero tolerance for other grain categories.
Since 2022, the EU has introduced even more stringent controls, introducing the Maximum Levels (MLS) of Ergot Alkaloids in Grain and Grain-based Products.
Importantly, alkaloids can also be present in visually clean grains, making detection and management more difficult.
This review was funded through a taxable wage-driven commissioning process and led by the Ergot Working Group, chaired by the UK Milling (UKFM). It illustrates the coordinated industry efforts to minimize the impact of ergots on food production.
“We are pleased to announce that we are committed to providing a wide range of technical opportunities for customers to create a wide range of technical opportunities,” said Joe Brennan, UKFM’s Technology Director. “The AHDB Pollutant Monitoring Project shows that ergot alkaloid levels in grains in the UK are generally very low, but spikes are seen in some grain samples.
Ergot adds costs to the entire cereal supply chain and contributes to food waste. Employing an efficient approach to tackling ergots with sauces is important to reduce these costs and increase food safety. ”
Four important strategies
Reduce initial vaccinations
Minimize the amount and viability of existing ergos to reduce spores production.
Important practice: Use of clean, high quality seeds. Fill the ergo in cultivation – Transmission up to a depth of at least 5 cm is most effective.
Reduce the risk of infection
Select crops that are less susceptible to infections.
Key practices: Adjust rotation to include non-carotid or unaffected grains (such as oats, barley). Avoid varieties that flower for a long time or have many slow tillers.
Reduce secondary spread
It manages grass weeds that act as alternative hosts and sources of spores.
Key practices: Target early target grass weeds, such as black grass with integrated weed management.
Reduce pollution
Prevents cross-contamination between clean and infected grains.
Important Practice: Monitor high-risk field zones. Infected grains are harvested and stored separately. Clean grains if possible, but completely remove the fragments is difficult.
