Following recent heavy rainfall, HGCA has warned growers that the potential for fusarium mycotoxins in winter wheat has increased.

The agency has warned that growers in much of England should be alert to the potential problem. All of Southern England, parts of South Wales and much of the North East have been deemed to be at high risk.

HGCA pointed out that there are legal limits for fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) in wheat intended for human consumption, guidance limits for feed wheat, and that the owner, be they farmer, merchant or processor, is legally obliged to ensure the grain is safe for human consumption.

High rainfall at flowering and pre-harvest contribute to a significant risk of mycotoxin development, according to the HGCA mycotoxin risk assessment form. Growers are advised to download and fill in the form and if the total risk levels exceed 15 points they should test their grain for contamination.

The risk assessment requires growers to fill in data on geographical location, previous field cultivations, fungicide applications and rainfall. This year, heavy rainfall has coincided unfortunately with wheat crops flowering in both the North and the South, potentially increasing the danger of mycotoxin development.

More information from HGCA is available here. The risk assessment is available here.

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