World mycotoxin report showed that 75% of the mycotoxin analyses conducted were positive and above detection limits. Of samples tested for six mycotoxins, 84% were positive for four or more mycotoxins.

For farmers and producers around the world, proactive risk management is vital to protecting animal health and winning the battle against mycotoxins in feed. They need comprehensive data on contaminants and their risks to decide whether mitigating mycotoxin measures, like feed additives, are necessary. Annual world mycotoxin report prepared by Cargill contains more than 300,0000 mycotoxin analyses captured annually across 150 feed plants, on-farm samplings and storage locations.

"Healthy animals perform better and drive better productivity for farmers, says Gilles Houdart, global additive category director for Cargill's animal nutrition business. He added that their experts around the world monitored mycotoxin risk in real time through annual global analysis and their team of animal nutrition experts helped farmers identify and mitigate animal health risks caused by mycotoxins.

THE HIDDEN RISK TO ANIMAL HEALTH

Despite the lack of visible symptoms, mycotoxins can wreak havoc on animal health and performance under the surface. Mycotoxins may, for instance, weaken the immune system and degrade nutrient absorption and vaccine response. If symptoms appear from mycotoxin exposure, it's an indication that the animal has been exposed to high levels of mycotoxins for a long time, and the producer faces costly measures to reverse the impact.

KEY FINDINGS IN MYCOTOXIN REPORT:

GLOBAL TRENDS:

1) Contamination is the rule: In 2022, 75% of the 300,000+ mycotoxin analyses conducted were positive and above detection limits. Also, the more mycotoxins you test for, the more you will find. For example, of samples tested for six mycotoxins, 84% were positive for four or more mycotoxins.

2) Performance risk rates increased. Beyond the number of positive samples, it is important to consider contamination levels that may create a risk of reduced performance. For example, in 2022, 39% of analyses were above performance risk threshold, representing a 4% increase from 2021.

3) Mycotoxins to Watch: Fumonisin (FUM), Vomitoxin (DON) and Zearalenone (ZEN) remain the top three mycotoxins of concern above risk thresholds. Over the past year, ZEN analyses above performance risk increased to 51% while FUM and DON remained elevated at 40% and 62%, respectively.